The build up.
The kiwi Brevet 2017 was due to start 4th February in Blenheim, which is at the top of the South Island, New Zealand.
A Brevet is a self supported bikepacking event.
There were two options. The 1100km Brevet and the 600km Brevette.
More details on the event can be found at http://kiwibrevet.blogspot.co.nz/
I chose to enter the shorter Brevette, it was still going to be the biggest multiday event I've ever entered.
Before I get into anything else I have to say a huge thank you organisers, Scott and Jo. Evey time there was a course in place, natural played it's hand and things had to be changed. Due to earthquakes, storms and slips the courses had to be changed several times.
For the Brevette I was riding a Cube, hard tail 29er. I don't think there is such a thing as an ideal Brevet bike. Some people rode hard tail, others on full suspension, others rode cyclo cross bikes and everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time. I used bags from both Revelate and Blackburn to carry all my gear.
Training was very simple. I commute to work. I thought the hardest thing on the Brevet would be getting up and riding every morning. So during 2016 I made sure I biked to work every day. This should mean getting up and riding every morning in the Brevet would be second nature. Second target was to average an hour everyday in 2016. At the end of 2016 I had 423kms. A simple training plan, hopefully this would be enough to get me through.
The day before.
I had organised a rental car relocation to get me to Blenheim. I picked up the car from Christchurch Airport, loaded my bike in the back and headed to Blenheim Airport. When I got to Blenheim I booked into a motel. Later in the evening we had a rider get together at Dobson Street Beer Garden. It was good to meet up wih a couple of riders, Tim and Murray who I used road race with. We cought up, ate some great food and then I headed of for an early night.
Day 1
Saturday started with a breifing at the Top 10 Cinema at 8:00 am.
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| Meeting at Top Town Cinema |
The event didn't start until 10:00 so most riders found a cafe while waiting until the start.
Just before 10:00 Scott seperated us into our two groups, The Brevet and the Brevette. As the clock struck 10 the Brevette rolled out of Seymour Square, with the Brevet leaving 30 seconds later.
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| Just before Start at Seymour Square |
One word can describe day 1, Windy.
104 kms of very strong head winds today. There was also 1100 meters of elevation but it was the wind which made today very tough. Several bunches formed in the first few minute as we headed out of Blenheim. I was in a bunch of about 15 riders. Even though we were still on flat, sealed roads we didn't get above 20kph riding into the wind. After 30 minutes we started loosing riders from the group. I only lasted for an hour. I was working far to hard considering I still had 6 or 7 really big days to come. I sat up, had some food and watched the bunch ride away.
I rode for an hour by myself before a couple of riders caught me and we worked together for 30 minutes before stopping at Cat Point Bridge for lunch. We were on gravel roads by this point. There were no shops on todays route so we had to carry a full days food with us. The others finished lunch and headed of while I was still being a big kid and playing in the river.
From this point I kept bumping into about a dozen other riders for the rest of todays ride. Some were riding as individulas like I was while others were riding with a group of 3 or 4 friends.
It was a good thing that a dozen of us all arrived at the 73 km mark at the same time. We were ment to do a river crossing at this point but a bank we were ment to go down was washed out. There was no way down. We back tracked a few meters and found someone had made a big arrow out of branched on the ground with a que sheet attached (thanks for doing this for us). It pointed towards a small entrance in the bush. Between the arrow and the bush was about a dozen bee hives. A few people weren't to sure but we all pushed through and found a way to the river. It was a bit bigger than I thought it would be. For crossing the river, some people thought you should put the bike upstream of your body, others thought downstream. It seems the correct answer depends on what you value most, yourself or your bike. All across safely, found the track again and of we went.
We were now into some properly steep climbs and quite a few down trees to carry over. Even though it was tough it was a nice change from just battling into the wind. At 88 kms we joined the main road again and continued towards Top House Road. Thankfully it was getting late in the day which meant the traffic wasn't to bad. This was still a slow, windy, hilly finish to the day. I arrived at Wairau Pass B&B and Helen could not have been a better host to tired and hungry cyclist. We had three cyclist staying for the night. She made us a meal of Salmon, Kumra mash and Kale. A great way to finish a fantastic day.
104kms, 1127m, 7hrs 30 riding time.
Day 2
The second day started with a great cooked breakfast before leaving our accomodation. I headed up the gravel road climb of Top House Road for a few minutes before reaching a sealed road. This morning was mostly gentle down hill. Kerrs hill was the only climb of the morning.
After a couple of hours on these quiet roads we got of road and joined the Great Taste Trail. A highlight was Spooners Tunnel. At 1.4 kms it is the longest cycle tunnel in the southern hemisphere. I stopped in the middle and turned my lights off. I thought it would be the complete darkness I noticed but it was the quiet. It was the most quiet, calm, peacefull place I can remember for a long time. Out of the tunnel you could still hear insects, birds and the wind. But in the tunnel there was no sound at all.
I thought there would be no services before Wakefield but I came across the Belgrove Tavern on the trail. As it was such a nice setting I stopped for a toasted sandwich and chips. There was only one lady working and I think she was a little bit overwhelmed. It took a full hour for the food to arrive. Still, it was nice to slow down for a bit.
It was starting to warm up and my Irish skin was starting to cook. I headed to Wakefield to buy some supplies for camp in the evening. After Wakefield we found some really big climbs. The first was over Pigeon Valley Road. If day 1 could be described as windy, today was hot. My gps was showing the temperature got over 30 degrees going up Pigeon Valley.
On the way down the other side I found a river to fill bottles. While down in the river I heard a couple of riders passing and saying there is no way down. I gave them a shout to let them know there was. One of the riders stopped. Pete was out from Ireland on his OE. I had a chuckle while we had stopped. Several other riders passed us at the side of the road while the two Irish riders were reapplying lots of sun screen. I don't think we are build for these sorts of temperatures. We rode together for the rest of the hilly afternoon until we got the McCleans Recreation Area camp ground. We had dinner before I went down to the river for a quick swim/wash. Pete had a sleep and when I came back up to camp he decided he would get another couple of hours riding this evening. I setup my bivy and prepared for a night under the stars.
110 kms, 1022m, 6hrs 41riding time.
Day 3
The third day could be described by the word Mistake.
I started with an early start to try and get out of camp before the sand flies started biting.
I had been navigating using my GPS and following the the gpx file so far. It had been working really well. I would only go 10 meters of course and it would tell me I'm of course. I knew I would be passing through Kaiteriteri this morning. It was on a small loop of the main course we had been following. I knew I'd be going that way but wasn't sure how far away it was.
I rode and rode and rode, passing through a few small villages. Climbed a real nice climb on the Great Taste Trail. Eventually while riding into a town the three riders from Team Thule (Simon, Tim and Murray) came past and asked how did I get in front of them. Then they said the boat is down this way. I had missed to turn off to Kaiteriteri. Turns out I should have turned off hours ago to do the extra loop. I was in Mapua and I wasn't going back to do the 25kms I missed. The reason it didn't tell me I was of course was that the extra loop came back onto the same place it left. As far as the gps was concerned I was still on course. It doesn't have enough smarts to let me know I've missed a section, just on or off the course. I'd still had a fantastic morning. I really enjoyed seeing so many people out enjoying riding on the trails this morning. The Great Taste Trail is such a good resource for this area.
We had a ferry crossing to Rabbit Island. It was due to leave in a couple of minutes so I boarded and of we went.
Once again it had become very warm which was taking it's toll on me. When I got to Nelson I decided I should stop and try to get out of the heat. I found a room for the night and after washing my riding gear I found some good food. I was very impressed by the cycle paths in Nelson. They work very well for getting through town without having to spend much time in the busy trafic.
104kms, 421m, 6hrs 17 riding time
Day 4
It had started to rain overnight. It was still 20 degrees in the drizzle in the morning but the baking sun had gone. This made a massive difference to my riding. I was aiming for Okiwi Bay today. It would be my first day under 100km but there wasn't much else before Okiwi and nothing for hours after. The rain was meant to get very heavy late in the afternoon so it would be nice to stop before it arrived. I rang ahead and organised accommodation at a lodge at the Okiwi Campground.
I bought lots of Burger King bacon and egg muffins for today. These turned out to be my favourite trail food all trip. I stopped for a muffn every couple of hours. They worked really well over the next couple of days.
I left Nelson via the Dun Mountain Trail. The next 30 kms (all off road) were my favourite of the whole trip. We climbed up past Maitai Dam and out towards State Highway 6. I met lots of riders today. It was good to spend some time with others out on the trail. At one point a couple of young pigs ran out of the bush and crossed the trail a few meters in front of me. I don't know enough about pigs and had a quick check to ensure I hadn't put myself between mum and her young. I couldn't see a big angry mummy pig so relaxed and didn't have to sprint to safety.
We eventually came out at the state highway and were treated to a great downhill before we climbed back up. There was a long section of road works on the way up the hill which was down to one lane with a stop/go at either end. When I got to the stop/go sign the ladyhad just turned the sign to stop both my self and a car. She waved me through and told me to stay to the left of the cones as there was room for cyclist to get through. The driver of the car then lost the plot, yelling and screaming at the stop/go lady for letting me through, what a winner.
After the road works we dropped downhill to a turn of towards Okiwi Bay. This was another loop of the main course. I managed to get this one right. Just after turning of the main road the Thule riders past me for a second time today. Only one more climb to Okiwi Bay. It nearly took as much time coming back down the other side of the hill as it did going up. Every time there was a gap in the trees I stopped for a look over the bay and just thinking "wow, this is amazing".
I rolled into the camp ground, bought some food from their shop for tea and was showing my bed for the night. The camp ground owners got fully involved in our adventures. They had the spot tracker site up on a screen which they invited us all in to view.
We had about 15 Brevette riders staying at the various forms of accomodation on site. That evening was the evening I most sociable meal meal all tour. It was fun to sit together and share stories.
Despite being my shortest day on tour it had been my biggest elevation day (so far), and looked like the next to would get even bigger.
75kms, 1394m, 5hrs 45 moving time
Day 5
After breakfast I headed up and over the hill towards Elaine Bay and the start of the Archer Track. Early on the climb I noticed that a Cicada has landed on my shoe and travelled for at least half an hour up the hills with me.
I arrived at Elaine Bay very hungry and started eating. I managed to finish my full days supplies by the end of Archer Track. I was still hunger so it was lucky I had emergency rations I'd carried all tour in case anything went wrong. So I was able to start eat some of these until I eventually found a cafe at lunch time.
Archer Track was only 9 kms. I thought I'd be through it in half an hour. I should know better by now. The first couple and the last km were easy riding. The rest was very muddy after last nights heavy rain. There was also a lot of big rocks and roots. There were a few bits I had to walk.
On leaving Archer Track we had a quick warm up climb before the biggest climb of the tour (about 600m climbing) so far. It was up this smaller climb that Team Thule past me today. I was exhausted at the top of the big climb and had finished all my emergency supplies. I needed a proper sit down, hot meal. Thankfully it should be mostly downhill to a cafe at Rai Valley where I vacuumed up a burger and chips.
I had know idea how far I was going to get today. At least I had options, Pelorus, Havelock or if lunch brought me back to life I could maybe reach Linkwater.
I had know idea how far I was going to get today. At least I had options, Pelorus, Havelock or if lunch brought me back to life I could maybe reach Linkwater.
Riding over Perlorus Bridge the water looked to good. I stopped for a swim. I found swimming most days helped my arms, sholders, back, etc which don't move much on the bike. The swim was great, so I headed of towards Havelock. We got of the main road and used a gravel road to get us to Havelock. I bought a lot of food in Havelock for dinner tonight.
Leaving Havelock we joined a really nice piece of single track which popped back out onto the road before Linkwater. I was ready to stop for the night when I got to Linkwater. I saw a place coming into town which said it was a restaurant and a B&B. When I went in and asked for a bed for the night the staff looked very confussed. It turns out there was a mistake when they got their signs made. They don't have any accommodation. They did help by pointing me towards Smiths Farm were they said all the cyclist stayed last night.
Smiths Farm was a few kms further down the road. It turns out this was a great camp ground to stop at. I was welcomed with a muffin, it would work for breakfast in the morning. I also found they have glowworms up in the forest behind the camp ground. So at 9.30 I went up for a look. I spent far to much time up in the forest and got to bed very late. It was great end to the day. If everything goes well tomorrow will be the last day.
106kms, 1664m, 8hrs 22 riding time.
Day 6
If everything went to plan today should see me arrive back in Blenheim. Today should also follow the trend of the past two days and have more elevation than any of the previous days on tour.
I just had a small breakfast as I thought I would be in Picton in no time. I should have learnt by now, you don't get anywhere in no time on a Brevet. We were back of the main road and onto the link track heading for Picton. This was a fantastic piece of single track but it did have some steep slow sections which meant I reached Picton a lot later than planned. Several people ask me why I would ride a bike on holiday. Picton provided the answer. When I stopped to take some photos in Picton a couple in a Camper Van stopped as well. They started complaining to me saying the bush was so thick and they had not been able to enjoy the views the whole drive along the sound. I took out my phone and showed them the photos I had taken while riding along the bike trail. They were very impressed when I told them there were a few spots with seats along the trail were you could sit down and enjoy the views. Maybe we'll see them at the next Kiwi Brevet. I stopped at the Picton Village Bakery for a second breakfast and to load up on supplies for the day. Maybe it was because it was getting near the end and I was tired or maybe it was just that good, but this was easily the best food I had all tour. I really recommend it.
On leaving Picton we had about 10kms of reasonably flat riding before getting to Port Underwood Road. This was going to be the start of a very hilly few hours. It was on the Port Underwoord climb that Team Thule past me today. I was surprised how often I saw other riders. I rode Le Petit Brevet a few years ago were after the first couple of hours I didn't see another rider for the full two days. I had been expecting the Brevette to be quite a lonely experience but I met at least half a dozen riders every day. Chatting to all these people was brilliant. Everyone with different levels of experience, fitness and goals, but all having an amazing time.
Today was proving to be very slow. I was stopping way to often to take photos. A better camera/phone would be one of only two things I'd upgrade before doing something like this again. The pictures it takes just don't do justice to what I was seeing out on the trail. The second thing I'd upgrade would be my bivy. I made sure that all the gear I bought for the Brevet would be good quality, but for some crazy reason I threw this rule out when buying the bivy. I bought the cheapest one I could find on TradeMe. It still worked ok and I slept well in it but it was not breathable. When I woke in the morning there was quite a bit of moisture inside the bag so I had to air it out before packing in the mornings.
This afternoons swim came at Robin Hood Bay. The first swim in the sea. All the others had been in rivers.
It wasn't long after Robin Hood Bay that I could see the flat land leading us away from the hills and towards the finish in Blenhiem. There were even a couple of sections on the flat were the road turned to the right and we had a tailwind for a couple of kms. I had heard people talking about tail winds on a Brevet but I was starting to think they were just myths or urban legends. I can confirm the do actually exist if only for a few kms before turning back into the cross winds again.
When I got to the flat I thought there would be no more distractions and I'd ride to the finish in record time. That was the case until I got to the village of Spring Creek. I heard it before I saw it. Round the corner came an ice cream van. It would be wrong not to stop, so I waved him down and had what he called a hedgehog (ice cream, covered in chocolate and dipped in nuts).
That was the final stop, time to finish. They have a nice bike path heading into Blenhiem and lots of people were using it to get home from school or work. Everyone said hello, it's such a nice way to travel.
I arrived back at Seymour Square just before 5.30 pm, finished (minus my mistake on day three). What do I do now. Took another photo, sent a text saying I'm finished, then Ross road into the square. I had rode with Ross a few times over the week. It was great to see someone else at the finish. I had met so many great people during the tour it only felt fitting to see one of them again at the finish.
86kms, 1899m, 7hrs 18 riding time
Thanks again to to Scott and Jo for all you've done to make this happen. Thanks to all the other riders, I really enjoyed meeting so many great people. Thanks to everyone who weren't part of the Brevet (farmers, tourists, people going to school and work) but still had time to give us a wave or a smile as I cycled along. Thanks to everyone who served us food in the cafes/dairies/ice cream vans along the way, so many of you wanted to hear about our travels and were we were heading next. Thanks to the people at the B&Bs and campgrounds I stayed at, for welcoming us weary travellers in for the night.
It was now time to return my spot tracker, find a bed for the night and then get a bus home in the morning to see Teresa, somethine to really look forward to.
