Did I mention I hate hills?

Yes. Hills. My nemesis. Damn I really do hate them.

So, when  Logan said "hey, lets go up Rapaki Track" I was desperate to find an excuse, but sadly, none was good enough to stop the mad bugger wanting to give it a go. And being that he is a mad bugger, we (he) decided we should head to Rapaki Track from his place, in the saddle. OK, it's flat and mostly non-road (yay for rail track and Hagley Park) but still a 14km ride to the foot of the hill.

So, ride there we did. It ticked by swiftly, as flat easy rides often do, and before I could convince him I was lost and we should head home now, we were at Rapaki Road and heading up the hill. The first bit is road, and actually not bad. I could ride up and down this several times without issue. Once we hit the first gate tho, the track changes from tar seal to rocks and muck and uneven terrain and is a lot harder as you have to concentrate on steering as well and peddling.

We slipped past the bottom gate and up the pine tree lined track intro to the first real gate. And to show how long how long it's been since I was last there, the gate now has a cattle stop and little ramp setup so no more gate jumping.

We got to the other side, lost jackets and headed further uphill. 15km on the clock, and a hill in front of me. I sucked. I hate hills. I hate them even more when I know how far up they go. So, we had a couple of pauses on the way, and made it (eventually) to the top of the first bit of the hill, where the second gate is (which now also has a cattle stop ramp!) and I decided I could not bear to do the rest. I convinced Logan  it was better to turn back now rather than push my arse up the next hill. He agreed (yay!) and we swung about and descended again. 

OK, as a small consolation, the bike computer said our max speed was 151kph, so not all bad news.  :)

We rambled back home and discussed the best way to make hills better. He suggested a training routine, or maybe skipping, or running, or anything really. My suggestion of donuts and custard squares and vodka-hydration-packs were not well received. Bugger. Hills it is then. 

Damn I hate hills.

On the Road Again..

Well, we're finally back on the bike again!

having had plenty of discussions about getting back on the bike and starting training for the Rainbow Rage -even going so far as to agree on a couple of days each week that we would keep clear for a ride, both Chris's and my timetables kept tossing spanners into the works!

But, finally, on a cool Wednesday evening we arranged to go and spin the legs a bit; heading out toward Bottlelake to see if we could get a little dirty as an added bonus!

So, into the headwind we treddled...chatting about the upcoming overhall of the bike(more news to follow)...and soon it was time to focus on staying upright as we headed into Pegasus.

The track was all but dry -only a few little puddles, so we quickly navigated the leg through to Spencer Park...no real challenge, not one life threatening moment and only two deep sand bars to negotiate.

Rolling into the park we take a gentle left and head into the single track -time for some bump and grind(no not sex!)

The single track provides Chris much more work ...particularly because he hasn't yet taken his sunnies off..meaning that in the more shaded area under the trees he is almost as blind as me!!

Some running repairs(*@#^$ rear gearing!) and we're back into it...Chris is now far better at judging his cornering and I now get brushed by the vegetation on the insides of corners as we whip through the narrow spaces of the single track...what a blast!

Quickly...to quickly we are out on the entry road and after a brief stop we decide to head back into the bottom end of Pegasus -heading toward North Beach to add some k's to our ride..

This part of the track is far from challenging -even on a tandem, and we are rolling along at a reasonable pace again chatting about the new gearing, brakes, wheels and such that are being ordered for us...and without any hassle we are onto the road and heading homeward with a nice little tailwind for company!

it is at this point that I realise after rocking around on the dirt, getting up close and personal with trees and mud I have no desire to spend long periods of time listening to the dull whistle of bike tyres on the road!

Tandem research - the YouTube method

Was having a troll through YouTube in a quiet moment, and discovered that tandems are more popular and weird than I initially thought.

There is the side-by-side tandem

And this one would be good for a laugh, but although it would allow Logan a better view, I'm not sure it would make a difference...

And just when you thought I was going to bring up a triple or quad bike, I found this!

Genius at work (aka midnight rantings of a madman)

A week has past since we returned from the Molesworth Muster… we’ve done absolutely no riding but have begun the process of working out exactly what upgrading will be done and what parts will do the job. Thanks to those of you who have either given me some thoughts on parts, links to parts or the parts themselves. For anyone considering tandem mountain biking as a direct result of reading this blog (or due to some significant head injury reducing your overall mental ability), I thought I might toss together some basic introductory thoughts/tips.. 
Warning 1: I’m blind and have only been tandem mountain biking for about 10 weeks! 
Warning 2: I’m a little closer to clinically insane than may be socially normal! 
Warning 3: I am not married to, sleeping with or aiming to sleep with my Captain. 

Tandem riding, from the Stoker’s prospective, can be exhilarating beyond comprehension or terrifying to the point of cardiac arrest. A thrilling descent at 80 kmph can instantly turn into a multi-week stay in your local hospital fracture unit if the tandem “captain” is inattentive, inexperienced, careless or otherwise stupid. I’ve found that, like monkeys, tandem captains fall into many different categories: ** those who are new and willing to try out tandem riding with a friend, cycling buddy or wife/husband/significant other ** Hot Shot Bikers who take their non-biker significant other on Sunday social rides to the coffee house ** Over-achievers who constantly quest for more speed and/or distance ** And, control-freaks. Note: It is of the utmost importance, for the safety of stokers and other single bike riders, that the latter group of potential captains be kept to a minimum! It should be realized that, despite the commonly believed myth, the tandem is actually controlled from the Stoker position. This fact may take weeks or months(or even years in some cases), for captains, onlookers and other groups to realize but it is essential that this fact be accepted! 

Take-off Procedure Note: No rodeo mounts or dismounts are allowed! 
1. The captain is to straddle the bike, carefully as to not chip the paint with their cleat, and stand firmly with legs spread apart to support the tandem in an upright position. 2. The Stoker will then climb on the back, clip-in one or both pedals, and lift the captain’s preferred starting pedal (which should be the same as the preferred starting pedal of the Stoker, if humanly possible). 3. The captain clips into the preferred starting pedal while firmly holding the bike, and, once ready,lets the stoker know they are ready for “liftoff”. 4. The pair then begin the first pedal stroke, -remembering to lift the foot not on a pedal. 5. The Stoker takes charge of maintaining forward propultion whilst the captain attempts to clip in their second pedal. ***Under no circumstances is the pair to try to clip in until the tandem has reached minimum escape velocity*** Note to the inexperienced captain: If a 40 kg, 10-year old Stoker can power a tandem from the back, your stoker can certainly do this for you, so RELAX! 

Stopping Procedure 
Stopping at Traffic Intersections, etc 1. The captain is to shift to a lower (easier) gear or two, depending on the terrain, then gently stop the vehicle – at which time the pair immediately place one foot firmly on the road. 2. Once ready to go, follow Take-off Procedure and shift back to a higher gear, as appropriate. Note: Captains who lean the bike past the critical angle may immediately receive a verbal warning to keep the bike upright. 

Stopping and Dismounting 
1. The captain is to gently stop the vehicle - immediately the pair should place both feet firmly on the road, spread out to support the tandem in an upright position. Note: Forgetting that you are on a tandem and causing the Stoker to fall off the back because you let the bike tilt too far may result in deafness or other personal physical harm. 
2. Once the Stoker dismounts, the captain may dismount by either lifting one leg carefully over the top tube or lift the leg over the Stoker’s handlebar. Remember, no rodeo dismounts are allowed! 

General Riding Behavior 
The captain is not, under any circumstances, to display reckless, dangerous, harmful or otherwise Stoker-threatening riding behavior. Letting go of the handlebar during a descent and yelling, “Look Ma, no hands” will result in immediate remediation. The properly trained captain is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. 

Captains Oath 
On my honor I will swear, against severe penalties
To do my duty to keep my Stoker safe;
To listen to and obey the Stoker at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and to keep the bike upright. 

Paceline Riding with the Tandem and Singles 
Briefly, the tandem(s) must be in front at all times unless there are one or two very strong cooperative “single” riders to help. Single riders are to give the tandem(s) plenty of room and not run them off the road, particularly when descending. Single riders must immediately get out of the way when the tandem announces it is passing on a downhill. Single riders should be patient when climbing hills with tandems, as most tandems do slow down. In a situation where there is a strong headwind, it is easy for single riders to think the paceline is not going fast enough, because they do not have to do any work. However, the tandem at the front is working very hard and if a single rider were in front, the paceline would be much slower. (The single rider will learn this concept on his/her own when he/she breaks out of the paceline and tries to pass the tandem.) 

Descending with the Tandem 
There is no question about the thrill of blowing past all single bikes on a long, banked, descent while riding on a tandem. In fact, the tandem becomes more stable at certain speeds. However, the captain must know the bike’s limitations with respect to braking and handling. Most direct braking control is from the front handlebar brake levers. The distance between the lever and rear brake is at least twice as long as for a single bike, and may lag in response. Tandems, in general, require more time to slow and stop. For long descents where a lot of braking is required, the rims can heat to very high temperatures and cause the tires to blow off the rims. Many tandems are equipped with a rear drum brake or disk brake, which in some instances may be controlled by the Stoker. This allows for auxiliary braking that does not impact the rims and can also relieve the strain on the captain’s hands during the descent. Descent speed and degree of “leaning” depend on the experience and skill of the captain and nerve of the Stoker. If the Stoker makes the command to “slow down”, the captain must comply or risk serious consequences. In emergency situations, the Stoker may employ the “Emergency Braking Procedure”. 

Sudden Flat Tires 
Sudden flat tires on tandems can be extremely serious situations. These are often caused by a “snake bite” pinch after going over a pothole, by riding over a large piece of sharp glass, or(like in our case) due to overheating of the rims. It is imperative that the captain remain calm and steady while attempting to brake, even if it requires riding on the rim. The Stoker should endeavor to stabilize the bike during the stopping process. Once the tandem comes to a stop in the upright position, the Stoker, then the captain, will immediately dismount. The captain is to remain calm and not start swearing while the Stoker assesses the situation. Note: If the bike does not stop in the upright position and the Stoker is thrown off the bike and is lying in the middle of the road, the captain must halt all traffic until the Stoker is safely relocated. 

Off the Saddle Riding 
Off the saddle riding is important to preserve the morale of the Stoker, as tandem riding generally does not allow for as many “butt breaks” as single bike riding. Either the Stoker or the captain may call out “butt break”, the captain then shifts to one or two higher (harder) gears, and then both riders simultaneously stand on the pedals while allowing the tandem to coast. Agreement on the number of pedal strokes prior to standing is generally a good idea; generally one full stroke will suffice. After several seconds, the riders may either sit down and resume pedaling, or pedal while standing. Once seated, the captain should remember to shift back to the lower gear, as appropriate. Off the saddle riding may also be performed during hill climbing. The captain may simply shift to a higher gear, which will signal to the ES that off the saddle riding is to commence. After the agreed-upon full pedal stroke, both riders will stand and continue pedaling. 

Hill Climbing 
Experienced tandem teams that have perfected the technique of “surfing the rollers” will leave most single riders behind. However, as previously mentioned, most tandem teams slow down when climbing long, sustained, hills. It is up to the captain to shift smoothly into the appropriate gear for climbing. Brief “Off the Saddle” periods may be employed, as needed; however, most of the climbing will be done sitting. This is the ideal time for the captain and Stoker to relax and engage in conversation.

Conversation while Riding 
Experienced Stokers, particularly those who are educated and refined, require stimulating conversation on rides. For tandems riding with a group of singles, conversations are usually communal and generally out of control. However, when the Stoker and tandem captain are out on a solo ride, it is up to the captain to participate in a decent conversation. Captains who make totally inappropriate statements such as, “Can’t hear you – too much wind noise” or “Shut up – Can’t you see I’m trying to concentrate” require immediate remediation. Topics may vary depending on the interests of the Stoker and captain. In general, “safe” topics include bike techno talk, weather, scenery, cultural events (music, art, dance, etc.), and gossip about other riders. Unflattering comments about Stoker’s weight or physical appearance, gory details on previous bike crashes, or expressions of general dissatisfaction require immediate remediation. Note: It is expected that the captain, who sits at the front-most position on the tandem and can see things ahead, communicate life-threatening events to theStoker , e.g., “duck for branch”, “bump”, or “brakes are out – jump ship.” In other emergency situations, such as bee stings, animal bites or dismembered Camelbak bite-valves spewing their contents, the captain is to remain calm and quiet until the tandem is brought to a full and complete stop, the Stoker has dismounted, and the bike is placed in a safe and secure location, before uttering any verbal response. 

General Rules (abbreviated list) 
1. Do not crash with the Stoker on the back of the tandem. 
2. Seriously, do not crash with the Stoker on the back. 
3. You’d better not crash with the Stoker on the back ! 
4. To put it another way, keep the tandem in an upright position at all times. 
5. No rodeo mounts or dismounts. 
6. Do not try to pedal during the initial steps in the take off procedure. 
7. Do not clip into the second pedal until the tandem has reached minimum escape velocity. 
8. Do not snag your shorts on the saddle. 
9. Slowly and gently stop the tandem and place feet firmly on the ground. 
10. Do not lean the bike past the Critical Angle. 
11. Do not allow the Stoker to fall of the back of the bike because you let it tilt past the Critical Angle. 
12. Do not chip the paint on the top tube with your cleat. 
13. Do not let go of the handlebar with both hands while riding. 
14. Obey the Stoker at all times. 
15. Be prepared. 
16. Shift before you absolutely need to. 
17. don’t fiddle around with the shift levers. 
18. Do not shift with the wrong lever. 
19. Slow down promptly if the Stoker gives the command. 
20. Let the Stoker yell at singles who violate tandem paceline protocol – you are to remain quiet and in control of the bike. 
21. Do not swear out-loud if a tire goes flat. 
22. Don’t ever make inappropriate comments to the Stoker. You will immediately be “black listed.” 
23. Remember to allow for “butt breaks” to preserve Stoker morale. 
24. Captains are to call out any low hanging branches; ducking without telling the Stoker is subject to severe penalties and loss of captain’s license. 
25. Do not call out stupid, obvious things, such as “shifting”, “braking”, “slowing”, or “standing.” 
26. Brush up on recent cultural and world events before the ride so you can hold up your end of the conversation. 
27. Eat and drink when the Stoker tells you to. And don’t talk back. 
28. Do not lose the tandem when you park it. 

physiology; psychology & tandemology

9 weeks of training, very little hill work and plenty of repairs....but we knocked the bastard off!
Since losing my sight ten years ago I've done what can only be described as some damned Crazy things.
From bungy jumping to abseiling, driving a car around a track in a paddock to cutting trees down with a chainsaw, I've gone on doing things that I did as a sighted person with little, or no, consideration for the sheer stupidity involved in doing it as a totally blind person.
I'd not thought that off-road mountain biking might fall into the category of benignly crazy but I can assure you this... it helps if you are a little closer to insane than may be socially normal to get onto a tandem bike (with no suspension) and ride 80km for no reason other than "It sounds like fun!"
So...with enthusiasm abound, insanity aplenty, bike currently mechanically sound and training kind of done I'm sitting behind Chris waiting for the rolling start of the Molesworth Muster.
I have an epiphany ...." Catch the bus back to Hanmer!" ...and then the siren goes!
rollin,rollin ..stoppin! Our first lesson - don't be behind most of the field in a rolling start as the tandem gets momentum much faster than a single does and you'll need to keep stopping!
The first 2km behind us and I'm starting to plan ahead.. wind up Wards Pass, barrel down the other side and go from there...again..traffic changes our/my plans. At the bottom of Ward's Pass we struggle to get into any regular cadence and due to an ever changing pedal speed Chris reconfirms his hatred of hill climbing and we quickly accept that we're not getting up the hill any quicker on the bike than those walking...so we leg it up to the top!
First hill completed..and we're rockin now!
Chris's report of the section from the bottom of Ward's Pass to the 50k mark is how it went...fast!...and then.. squeak, whine, groan..no, not another mechanical failure, that's the sound my hamstring would have been making..if it could make noise!
We're 50k in, things were going well..and my hammy starts to tighten..I grind through it for a bit..thinking that it'll stretch out and the pain will go..but it's a stubborn little bugger and is hell-bent on a rest. So, rest taken, stretches done -a few times, and we continue to grind away...me trying to do my job...but failing.
I want to finish, I need to finish..I'm going to finish ..even if I have to take Chris up on his offer of replacing my dodgy hammy with a cable tie!
So..we keep going..and by the mid way point of Jolly's my hammy has had the rest it needs and I'm starting to feel human again(Well as close to human as I might be typically!)..good timing I guess..the last bit of the climb is the steepest!
roll over the top, hold on for grim death and trust that Chris won't go native at any point on the descent!
After replacing the blown tube, and chewing up some more time, we roll into what I assume to be a simple ending ...well! We'd been told in the race briefing that there was 200m of single track to navigate before rolling into the finish chute..but no one told me that I'd be almost vertically above Chris as he is trying to get the tandem to go around a corner! Again Chris proves that he is crazy and gets the tandem through a section of track that just wasn't meant for the extra length of a tandem and we treddle into the finish and the waiting arms of the nearest funeral director!
I'm kind of gutted by our time, very gutted that my body was the primary cause for our much slower time ..but am rapt that we've finished a bloody good event in one piece, without breaking anything on the bike(the tube don't count) and am already thinking about what we could do next...the Moa?, The Rainbow Rage?....Around Tekapo?
We've already decided that we like this challenge enough to keep doing events so we'll be getting the bike into the guys at PushBikes Papanui for some TLC and some upgrades (budget allowing) and then it's some proper training for the next event!

---

People continue to ask why? how? and are you joking? when I say that I'm doing off-road tandem mountain biking.
One of the most frequently asked questions is what is the most important thing needed when riding a tandem?..(I assume they mean other than a tandem bike !!)
I, like Chris, believe that it is much easier for me to sit there in ignorant bliss...not actually seeing how close to significant injury we may have come; but this ignorant bliss is only achieved with one thing...trust!
Over the 9 weeks leading up to the Muster; I've felt the close calls, perceived the close trees and clench various muscles as the bike has begun to slide from beneath us...and once I've breathed again, wiggled sufficiently to remove the seat from my lower intestine and generally concluded that we were close to death but survived, trust in the ability of the Nutbar in front of me has grown...and it is this trust that I feel is the most vital component of successful tandem mountain biking 

** Trust only slightly pipped Cash as the most important thing!**

---

What was upgraded/repaired/replaced on the bike leading up to the Muster?

1. Two rear chains
2. Two rear cassettes
3. One seatpost (suspension too rigid) -- I need to get a good suspension seat post..ideas?
4. One crank
5. 3 Front chainrings
6. A small crack in the lower frame
7. Cables for brakes and gears
8. Climbing bars

Things still to be upgraded/replaced

1. Suspension forks(High quality ones to handle the extra weight of the tandem)
2. Disc brakes - 8" at least I'm told
3. the levers, tubing and associated guff for hydraulic discs
4. Gear shifters
5. Front and rear derailleur
6. Suspension seatpost for me!!
7. Stronger wheelset(38 spoke minimum)
8. some kind of helmet mounted video system -so I don't have to hold on to my camera with one hand while we hurtle downhill at ever increasing speeds!
9. Some kind of wireless communication system so Chris is able to tell me about the BIG hits we're about to take!

As noted by Chris, the plan is to buy a high quality downhill bike and rape it for it's parts...then sell the frame and buy some other bits!
That said however...I'm not too proud to accept charity -or a massive corporate sponsorship! so, if anyone has any thoughts on where I might get some very good gear at good prices..or they have a some good quality gear sitting around that they might like to donate to a good cause...shout out and let us know.
finally; I'd like to thank all of those people who stopped and offered their help on those numerous occasions when we broke the bike...your an amazing group of people!!

see ya on the hills!

Molesworth Muster completed, next please

Looking back, we started riding tandem together in early September, about 9 weeks ago. I had never ridden a tandem before, and Logan had never gone off-road. Together, this was all new and exciting.
On Friday, we loaded up the car and headed to Hanmer. We were taking the shuttle to Molesworth, so loaded our gear and bike on the truck and chatted to people about the race and the tandem. Aboard the bus I was keeping an eye on the road as this was the track we're riding back out on and the last hill (Wards Pass) was a sudden and dramatic surprise. I hate hills, and this one was a doozy.
We arrived at the campsite, registered and I set Logan to work erecting the tent. Once up, it was dinner time, and Logan ate some weird meal-in-a-can while I fired up the gas ring and had hot burgers and espresso coffees. The temperature was dropping rather fast once the sun had fully set and it was only going to get colder as the night progressed. I was wearing all my nice thermal layers, and the night passed in an icy blur.

Sunrise and we were woken by the sounds of the campsite rising with the sun. Cold? You betcha! Each tent had a dusting of frost on it and all the bikes scattered around were white and frozen to the ground. Nice. We wolfed down some food, collapsed the tent, packed the bags and stuffed them back on the truck, then waited, shivering, in the cold for the race briefing and start. As the morning progressed it began to warm up, a lot, and those thermals became a burden rather than a benefit. Thankfully we could offload them at the start of the race.
We positioned ourselves towards the back as it's pretty much all uphill on the way out, and this turned out to be a bad idea. The hooter sounded and we were off. Slowly. Very slowly. Almost 600 bikes on a single lane gravel road don't move fast. We moved with the flow, trying hard to adjust speed by fractions so we don't collide with others (tricky on a tandem) and after the first small hill we start to overtake a few people, however, making headway is difficult, so we take it easy, Wards Pass is not far away and I don't want to burn out before we get there. In the small hills from the start line we notice that our uphill is not too bad, but our downhill is way faster than others.
We start up Wards Pass, and as it gets steeper and steeper, my lungs start to explode. Eventually I pull the plug and we walk the rest. We're not the only ones walking up this hill, and it's only a small amount slower than riding up. We have 70km to go, so don't kill yourself now. At the top we climb back on and there is a high speed descent down to the valley below. Wow. Fast? Yes indeed. We overtake about 10 people on the downhill, but I'm trying to maintain control rather than set a speed record.
At the bottom we cross the bridge and into the long flat sections. Here is where we can shine, and we do. During the next 20km we overtake massive amounts of people. We are cruising at 30kph+ and because of our momentum and speed we're collecting a tail of people slipstreaming behind us - about 9 or 10 at one stage. We manage to lose them at the first of the fords. We had a game plan for these - low gear, steady entry, peddle out, hold the line. And it works well. Very well. Our exit speed is high and once we're back to our cruising speed we have left our passengers behind and they can't catch us under the own steam.
This is the nicest ride we have done off-road. We're moving fast, holding 30kph, overtaking lots of people and feeling good. Our goal is to cross the finish line at about 4hrs. We are realists tho, and just finishing is the real #1 goal. When we pass the halfway mark, we're a touch over 2hrs, so on target. The uphills slow us down, and we get overtaken lots, but we take it back on the downhills and straights, and with almost 50km under the wheels we have made up a massive gain on the field. Logan does some quick roadside repairs and we blast off again.
The bike is going well, Logan has shot some videos while we fly downhill (mad!) by holding the camera in one hand, and the bike in the other: 

The sun is shining, the day is warm, everything is going to plan. Yup, this is usually where things start to go wrong, and today is no exception. We've ironed out most of the bugs in the bike, and broken all the bits that we're going to break, so this time it's human failure. Logan's hamstring starts to make noises that hamstrings really shouldn't make. Logan starts making noises like someone who is in constant pain and suffering. And as hard as I try, I can't ignore him for long. Our speed drops, we walk a few hills, and drift downhill so he can stretch. A couple of stops along the way to get some proper stretches in, but it's a slow uphill now, more up than down, and we're losing places rapidly. Still, the plan of finishing in one piece is way more important than beating any time we set ourselves. Over the next 10km we have more than halved our speed. We're looking forward to, and dreading, the final climb up to the top of Jollies Pass - the last hill.

Turns out, the hill I was most worried about climbing is nowhere as hard as I expected. We manage to spin our way to the top, and now it's all downhill. 400m descent in about 3-4km means high speed downhill time. Well, about halfway down, we hit a rut that has been gouged in the road and the wheel turns and locks into it. I can see spokes when I shouldn't be able to. We're going fast tho, and momentum pops us back out of the rut and back onto the road. I saw our front wheel bend and snap in half, I swear, yet we're rolling well, still spinning nicely. Disaster averted.

However, it's a long downhill and we're using plenty of brakes. I was wondering if the poor little rubber pads were going to last the distance. (oh for disks!) About 1km from the bottom of the hill we hear a loud hissing noise from the front wheel. Puncture. Big one. We manage to come to a stop (something I wasn't sure we were going to achieve) and discover that the front brakes have heated up the rim so much it's melted a hole in the tube. It's so hot we can't touch the rim for some time to change the now-soft tyre, but make the swap in about 15mins. The rims have cooled, and I'm fairly sure we'll make it all the way down without more damage, and we do. The last tiny bit of the track is the scariest of all. Through a narrow singletrack of trees and tree roots is not impossible, however there are two massive drops down to the thinnest bridge I have ever seen:

A slight right, over a bridge 400mm wide, then a sharp right. On a tandem. I was sure we (or rather Logan) was going over the side - there was no way in this lifetime we were going to make it across that bridge with those angles on a tandem. Surely? To my absolute surprise, we made it across. I could breathe again! A short hill, then quick dash to the finish line and we were home!!!

Final time? 5:10:11 - about an hour slower than we wanted, but we were in one piece, and the bike had made it to the end!

So, not a perfect result, but a damn good first effort. As the pain subsided and the beer & wine soaked the muscles, we decided that yes, we would do this again next year. And, we'll do some hill training too - we had only done 3 hill rides before this ride!!!

Talk moved to 'what next' and muttering about the Rainbow Rage have surfaced. It's not till March, so we'd have more than twice the time to train as we have so far.

So, major adventure #1 is complete, time to assess what we need to work on, change, upgrade and fix, then we'll eat and drink too much over the silly season and be fat and slow for the new year. Training will continue until one of us is broken permanently.

The hills I & II

OK, so our first climb up Kennedys Bush was on Sunday. It was pretty wet early on, so an afternoon romp up the hill was declared a good thing as it was drying out fast. I had collected the rebuilt bike earlier, so loaded it onto the car and collected Logan then headed to the hills.

We parked at the gate and had a quick test-ride through the quarry to check out the new gears and make sure everything was good for our first hill climb. It was, so we started up the road. I hate hills. I despise them. I loath them. I detest them. I especially hate hills with downhills in the middle (Kennedys Bush Road, Kennedys Bush Track, Rapaki Track, and so on) as there is no logical reason for making hills like that.

So, we make the gate by the crocodile, jump over and carry on up. I hate hills (did I mention that?) and they go on and on and on! I'm gasping, Logan wants a higher gear so he can stand and push, I'm avoiding ruts, rocks, sheep, poo and other track nasties and almost dying from lack of oxygen. There are a few close calls on the way up, usually with us slipping into a rut and not being able to get out easily, but make it to the 'top'. It's not the Summit Road top as the last 500m or so is a shear cliff face of shale and death cookies, so we turn here and begin the descent. Our first downhill, and it's in the ruttiest track in the country! More close calls, and we're both standing on flat peddles, arses in the air (or over the wheel) and flying down the bumpy track. Some of the bumps are vigorous enough to cause blurred vision - we have no suspension remember! I'm not just worried that we're going to fall off or not be able to stop, but that Logan's eyes are going to pop out of his head and get lost in the grass somewhere.

We make it to the bottom of the track, and down the road again (new top speed - 61.9kph)  in one piece, but I still hate hills, or at least the up part. Logan wants to have a small cry about the fact that it's 35mins up, and 10mins down, and why can't it be the other way round!

We decide to do a double-trip up & down on Monday, and a plan is in place. It's a holiday, and the forecast is good, so an afternoon of hill climbing is determined to be better than a day of sitting in the sun drinking Black Russians and relaxing. So, we packed up the guide dogs (and a wife & child) and head to the hills again.

The first sign that things may not go to plan greets me at the other side of the road when I'm collecting Logan.

Yep, across the road is a car with 'Tandem Smash Repairs' on the door. Spooky! We head hill-wards again, drop wife, child and dogs at the start of the track, then foolishly drive down again and begin the ride up to the track. I hate hills. I loath them. Did I mention that? Halfway up we have an issue. The chain is jumping and slapping when we freewheel, and it could be the new knobbly tyres grabbing the chain when we're in the small chainring. So, till we know for sure, we move to the middle chainring and continue climbing. Yes, middle chainring and hills.

Now we're really burning the legs on the hill. No longer do we have the granny gear, it's all push push push! We make the top of the road and try to determine the issue with the gearing. It's annoying and if we can't freewheel, the descent is going to be impossible. The chain and tyre is not the problem, it turns out the new cassette is not freewheeling, we have the worlds stupidest fixed-wheel tandem. The climb is called off because if we can't freewheel down, it means we have to peddle the whole time, and avoid the rocks and ruts, and it's all just bad news because that is going to be bloody hard!

Sadly, the wife, child, Logan's guide dog and the guide dog puppy are somewhere up the hill. Did the wife take her phone? No. Did the child? No. Will Logan jog up and fetch them? No. So, poor me (insert violins here) has to ascend the hill on foot in my stupid bike shoes and find them. And find them I did, at the top of course. I HATE HILLS!!! Down we go again, grab Logan, who has been snoozing beside the bike and fending off multiple queries of 'are you OK, did you have an accident' and resisting attacking them. He is lounging beside a tandem. Alone. Even if he wasn't blind it's still a stupid question. Where did the other person go? Flying down the hill? Eaten by rabid sheep? 

We ride down the road, peddling the whole way (harder than you think it might be actually) and load the bike back on the car. Nowhere near the amount of hill training we wanted, but then I do hate hills... We'll get the bike fixed up again, then have another go. Molesworth is looming fast, and we need not only a reliable bike to ride, but also some experience on the hills when we do!

I hate hills.

Damage Inc.

Logan has been unwell, one of the hazards of not being able to see what you are eating I guess.

I picked up the repaired bike this evening, new cranks and chainrings and chain and cassette and tyres, more $$ spent, another kidney sold, but there can't be many more bits we can break now surely!

What damage did we do? Got the old crank and chainring back and thought you might like to see it.

Not bad huh? We also snapped a few teeth off the old cassette too. That's how strong our legs are man! We're pure power! Barely contained super-energy! An irresistible force! All that and more.

We get to put all the new gear to the test this weekend, once Logan has finished painting the porcelain of course... We have to ride up and down at least one hill before Molesworth, and that's only 2 weeks away!!!

Headwinds and cable ties

We scheduled a wee ride after work on Thursday, the idea being to give the legs a warm up before we hit the hill on the weekend. I was going to skive off work a bit early, meet Logan around 5pm, then we'd head off on a ride before the southerly hit.

Everything went well, except the 'before' part of that statement. My little weather monitor shows the windspeed picking up dramatically at 5pm, and blowing good and hard for many hours, primarily the hours we were out riding in it of course.

We started out quite nicely, heading north and east mostly, wind at our backs, speed occasionally jumping over 40kph (yea!) and very pleasant (despite traffic). However, when we turned to head back down the other side, it was a headwind that almost halved our speed and made the flatness of Canterbury feel like riding up Mt. Everest! We pushed on through it (with a cheeky road cyclist draughting behind us for a while) till we could turn north again, and things became easier.

We decided to head up to Spencer park and take the Pegasus track back down to North Beach so we could have a bit of off-road as well. Easily achieved, and we were onto the Pegasus track before long. One advantage of the track is that it's mostly sheltered from the wind, so heading south on it is easier than on the road. We'd done about 30km of road so far, and that was enough for now.

We had made it almost halfway down the track and were climbing a small rise up the sand dunes when Logan's enormously strong legs caused the chain to bend & rip the small ring off the front chain ring of the bike.  Bent, twisted, mangled, completely ruined. We examined it and yes, she was toast, but even worse was the fact that it was bent so badly that the cranks would no longer turn as it kept hitting the bike frame. Doh! We're a long walk away from the carpark too.

Some bush engineering comes into play, trying to use tools and rocks to bend the ring back so the cranks can turn, all to no avail. Here I would like to say a big Thank You! to all the cyclists who stopped and offered assistance, it was bloody awesome to see so many people willing to help others. Sadly, almost none could help... Funnily enough, a group of 3 stopped to offer assistance and I was chatting to one while another was chatting to Logan, marvelling at the damage we had caused and watching Logan use a crescent as a lever trying to bend the ring back into place. Those who have read this blog before know it's Logan who does the mechanics on the bike (usually changing tubes while I gossip) and it wasn't till a few minutes later than he admitted to the man he was conversing with that actually, he is blind, and no he can't see the gestures he was making, and pointing at bits of the broken chainring wasn't actually helping him much.

We were at the stage where only removing the crank so we could dump the small ring was going to save us, and nobody carries an allen key big enough for that task. Until the bloody fantastic Welsh fella (I should have got his name!) produced one like a rabbit from a hat. Sadly, removing the crank was not the solution, and a new plan was devised. We managed to remove the remaining screws from the small ring, and using the mighty power of cable ties (never go mountain biking without them!) we strapped the ring to the bottom bracket and we were able to turn the cranks again! With thanks and praise for the Welsh, we were off down the track, hoping to make it home before sunset, but not wanting to put any extra pressure on the remaining chainrings.

We did make it home in the end, and despite the pitstop, managed about 43km with a top speed of over 40kph! Logan is taking the bike to the shop today, and we're expecting to hear that the damage we caused is actually impossible to cause by peddling, and have them recommend  (again) the new set of titanium cranksets at $6,500 a pair. (That's pair left & right, so we'll need two sets please.) Donations are welcome at this stage! I think Logan sold a kidney to get the bike this far, and now he's muttering about how much children cost and how the American celebrities are willing to pay big bucks for little kids nowadays...

So, moral of the story? Cable ties are essential, strong wind is always a headwind no matter which way you go, and the mountain bike community are a wonderful bunch who are always willing to lend a hand (or tool) when they can.

High speed madness PT II

On Saturday they had the 6hr/12hr race at McLeans Island, which meant it was nice and clean on Sunday, but also that the track was not full of psycho bikers going hell for leather, but instead was chocka block full of families enjoying the sunshine and the great (fantastic!) outdoors.

We were here to try and get some lap times on the track, see if we can set a good time for a tandem. Lap one was a little slow as we had company of the small kind for the first leg, but they were farmed off after a couple of k's and speed picked up. The corners are still way too sharp, the trees are still in the way, the track is still very narrow and windy and bumpy and full of rocks, but we knock the first lap off in good time.

Without delay, we're into lap two. Higher speeds this time, faster corners, tighter turns, bumpier bumps, and we finish the second lap a couple of minutes faster than the first. The tracks' bumps are quite different at higher speeds. It's like the difference between riding over a rough surface, and riding a horse at a gallop. The 'waves' seem to catch the tandem just right, synchronising the rise and fall of us both like some kind of insane merry-go-round.

Logan now has a new seat post, something that had been an issue for a while now, and he's discovered the joys of rigid mountain biking and it's effects on your rear end. Not being one to complain (well, actually, I'm not one to listen to the complaints of others) we start off on lap number three. Less than 10 seconds in, we are joined by a workmate of mine who has clicked off one lap already and tags along for another behind us. She's along for the comedy value alone. I want her to see just how close Logan gets to the trees as we go around the corners. (Turns out, heaps of room, I'm taking the corners so wide he has massive amounts of space, sometimes several inches between him and the trees.) This lap is our fastest, but most damaging, so is declared our last of the day.

Lap one was 35.5 mins. Lap two was just under 34 mins. Lap three was just over 32 mins. This puts our average speed for the last lap on this bendy windy course at just a tad under 20kph which is good. We can beat that as we have some areas where we can improve and get better and faster, and now I know we can take the corners sharper too! The trees we graze on the open area will be grazier (ooh, new word) and some of the other corners will be less slow and less wide (see: faster and sharper) and we'll knock this puppy off in less than 30 mins before long.

Next weekend, hills.

urgh.

High speed madness PT I

Tonight, the ride was a little rushed, in more ways than one. Having done the typical ride from work to Logan's house by racing all the road cyclists along the way (hehe, it's funny watching them fall away behind my enormous mountain bike), I was well warmed up. We headed off to the riverbank and made good steady time.

Then I remembered, it's 4 weeks till the Molesworth Muster. 4 Weeks! Yes, we have 4 weeks to train for the 80km race, and we have not as yet ridden up or down a hill, not have we done a ride over 50km. OK. Lets get serious here.

So we arrived at McLeans Island and clicked off a quick lap. As we had dawdled a bit, it would be tricky to get a second lap in and still have light to see by on the way home (yes, I should have brought my lights)  so we started back down the stopbank. There was a moment of panic just as we started out. Someone strapped a rocket to the back of the bike! Logan was up and cranking, the bike was accelerating beyond measure, and I was trying desperately to maintain a straight line on the top of the stopbank. Yes, he decided to turn the power on! No, he didn't bother to tell me.

Well, after a short burst of that madness, we decided to try it again later on (when it wouldn't kill us) and just a few km later, had another go. Very cool, when you can see the road ahead, and we'll get the routine down pat, but makes the distance fly past as we hover around 40kph. With the right gear choices and a bit of tarseal and I recon we can easily click over 50kph for some time. Kinda looking forward to that!

So, tonight was short (41km all up) and tomorrow night we'll do it again, with more laps tho, and then Sunday, we try for a multi-lap session. How many 10km laps can we do before legs fail, lungs collapse, or trees finally grab us? We'll try for 6.

Once is never enough

If you live in NZ, or more specifically in Christchurch, you'll know how windy it was that Saturday morning. I was seeing wind speeds of 40km and above, often, using the Christchurch City Council weather station. So, I bailed and we rescheduled for Sunday. I have ridden solo in winds that strong and nearly been blown off the road, and a tandem is just going to get more buffeted. Later in the day the weather swung to the south and rain pelted down, so I hid inside for most of it, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

And it was! What a difference. A bit of frost in the morning always bodes well for a calm & sunny day. Due to family stuff Logan was not available for a morning ride, and I had a long and wonderful lunch planned, so we scheduled a ride for 4pm.

A little late, and full of roast beef, salmon, pork crackling, chocolate fudge brownie and a few glasses of pinot noir, we were ready to head off. As the rain would have created some puddles, and we had some k's to catch up on, we decided to head to McLeans Island and do the 10km single track.

We had done a small amount of single track in Bottle Lake - the easiest bit too. And we'd done some gravel and other soft surface riding on the river banks. So the last feather in our caps was to be a lap of the fast and corner laden single tracks. Now this is still classed as 'easy' in mountain bike circles, and would be classed as such by the cycling ninjas who scale impossible heights and descend lava tracks at impossible speeds. On a tandem, it's not as easy. Honest. There are about a million sharp corners, all with trees on the inside of the bend and my turning circle is bigger than a boat!

So, we peddle out there, following the road for expediency, and arrive at the gate in pretty short order. A gentle tail wind helps us keep a 30km average all the way there. Nice. I grab a quick drink, we get ready, then hit the track. I have done this track maybe 50 times on my own, so know it pretty well, and there were a few bits of it I was not looking forward to.

We headed off slowly, the first section being an easy 1km of corners but not much in the way of challenges (except the trees) and we hit the stopbank. Yay! This is the point we arrived at the last time we were here, except this time we're on the track itself!

It's this very next bit that concerns me most. Up the stopbank, down the other side, then a couple of sharp S-bends back up the hill a bit between the trees and mind the edges please. This is scary for the wife, and have done it several times before at high speeds, but not today! We safely negotiate the bends, hills, trees and corners for a while, and it's not till the chain slips as we climb a stopbank later on that we have our first real close encounter. When the chain slips, Logan's foot unclips and his knee bites the handlebars. Ouch. Lesson learnt? Nope, we do it again on the next climb. So we change from middle-ring to the small bugger, and after a small section of hilarity as we peddle like madmen going nowhere fast, we descend the bank, find a better gear, and get moving again, legs no longer spinning like a desk fan.

As we move through the forest there are several different sections, each with a different challenge, but all completed fairly easily, and only once did we go off the track enough to make me worry. However, the bit of track that followed that had me even more worried so my relative concern levels were low I guess.

It seemed like no time at all and we had popped out at the end. A quick discussion, a chat about light (daylight savings! One more hour before sunset!) and did we want to do it again. A vote was had, the bike computer reset, and off we went again! Second time through was a little faster, and we were getting used to the cornering a bit more. S-bends are still hard but not impossible. We even overtake a few people, always fun! We popped out the end, no accidents, and only one off-track (at the exact same spot as last time) with a lap time of 36 minutes. Not too shabby. Especially as we had a flat front tyre for the last kilometer and cornering was not great (ok, it was bloody awful).

We swapped the front tyre out for the spare Logan had (well, again, I removed the wheel, Logan did the rest) and the nice chap at the shop assisted with a good size foot pump to blow the bugger up. This, as it turns out, was probably the same tube we punctured the other night, and it quickly returned to flat. However, man in shop has tube for sale, so no emergency call to the wife is required as Logan yet again changes the tube, and replaces the wheel (I was busy too, honest) and we're off again.

Now however, the gentle tailwind is a 35kph headwind. Typical. We ride into the blustery nor-easter the 15km home again, not averaging very high speeds at all, but we have now completed our first real single track ride, and survived! 50km of ride, 20km through the forest, both alive, only Logan got injured, a good day all round!

Stretch the legs, mind the bus

The weekend passed without a tandem ride due to injury, schedules and other family commitments. I did however go for a reccy ride at the Little River Rail Trail and decided that there are currently too many bugs to be fun - especially on the front of a tandem. The bugs were amazing, they were thick, hovered above the trail (and only above the trail) and went on for miles and miles. I only managed 5km before it was game over and back to the car. Another couple of people were on the trail at the same time, and turned back at about the same point too. I'm not doing that trail on a tandem until those bugs sod off for good!

I went from there to have a quick scout of the Bowenvale Traverse on the Port Hills, with a tandem in mind. Well... maybe after a few laps of McLeans before I tandem up there, otherwise we'll be having a crack at off-piste extreme downhill tandem mountain biking. If we survived, I may never be forgiven, or allowed on the front again.

So tonight we finally hit the road for a leg stretching ride. I mapped a path that was exactly 20km each way, from Logans house to North Beach then down Marine Parade to South Brighton, and used it as an exercise in cadence, duration, and also to check the accuracy of the cycle computer I had just installed. (Yes, I know I could have just measured the circumference of the wheel, but where is the fun in that?) It only took 45mins to knock the 20km off. A quick adjust of the computer (5% downwards, hybrid tyres, not knobbly beasts) and we turned to head back. Why does the trip back always seem to go quicker? Could it be the tailwind? Well, no, because it seemed like a headwind the entire time. Whatever the reason (Logan says it was downhill on the way back, calculated at a descent of approx 300mm over a distance of 4km) we were home in record time. 90 minutes for 40km. Not bad at all. Only one close call with a bus, but then what is a road ride without a tinge of terror as the drivers of tons of steel try and turn you into roadkill.

Thanks to the new computer, I can say we can managed to cruise at 30kph, and at the end of the 40km had an average of about 27.5kph, and we were not even trying very hard! Obviously we'll lose some speed on the softer surfaces, and the uphills. We haven't done any hill climbs yet.  I hate hills with a passion, and I have this horrible feeling we are going to descend them at high speeds too! One weekend we'll do the Summit Road, see if we can do an up and a down and survive. Hmm... Dyers Pass... Evans Pass.... Rapaki Track... which is least likely to make me squeal like a girlie?

Out and Back

Another clear evening, and time to hit the soft stuff again. I had been looking through Google Maps and the Christchurch City Council website looking for the path from our shortcut to McLeans Island. I thought I had found one, so we headed off to see if it was real!

With a full moon out, and starting out while it was still light, we made good time to the riverbank, and two of the gates were open, so things were looking up. We turned left and started towards the west. I decided we'd take the top path on the stopbank, and within a short time was regretting that decision. On a tandem, cornering in gravel is hard, cornering in deep gravel is a nightmare, cornering in deep gravel because if you don't you're going to go off the stopbank and into the river and your front wheel is skidding sideways and Logan is still peddling like a machine behind you and ahead for kilometer after kilometer is a rock garden of death cookies (gasp) is one of the few things in this world that make you realise just how much you value life. I experienced that about a dozen times before we dropped down to the lower, and thankfully easier, bottom path.

After a bit of a search, and a little double-back, we found ourselves on the stopbank to the middle of McLeans Island. It was a lot easier on the mind, although as we're riding rigid, it's not a lot easier on the hands or butt. We did however find the mountain bike track in McLeans Island, and it's a nice wee ride. It is however dark now, so it's lights on and a 180 degree turn (yes, I woosed out on doing the single track just yet, however I had just ridden over 10km of stress inducing, sphincter tightening, waist deep gravel remember, and we had to ride back again!)

Because previous rides had seen my light go from 50watts of brightly lit landscape to near nothing at the end, I had swapped my narrow-beam 50w for the old wide-beam 20w. Yes, it lasted for the entire ride, however, I want my 50w back now. I prefer being able to see the potholes and branches even if it does mean shorter life & rides. I'll have to get a narrow beam 20w and see if that's any better.

As we couldn't see the potholes until we were almost in them, we hit a few, and as luck would have it, finally bit hard into one and had a decent rim strike. A short time later we pulled over and sure enough, a puncture. But we were prepared, we had a spare.

So, taking up the mantle of lazy bastard, I removed the front wheel off the bike using the quick-release, and handed it to Logan, who removed the tyre, yanked the inner tube out, replaced with the spare, replaced the tyre, pumped it up and handed it back in just a few minutes. I was busy faffing about with the dead tube, an important job, but did put the wheel back on as Logan put the tools away again. Teamwork you see. I did the heavy lifting, he did the technical stuff. Perfect. I even managed to stuff the old tube in his pack to carry home, so I was happy as Larry.

Back onto the shortcut (we were only 100m away from it when we stopped) and we zipped home with plenty of light still. The ride was about 15-20km each way so a nice short distance, however, many chunks of it was riddled with terror. I have some techniques which seem to be working to keep us in a straight line, and if I managed to relax a bit, it may even work!

Right, where to tomorrow night?

The Darkside

 

Life presents every person with many questions.  People pontificate about varied topics ranging  from the truly magnificent to the absurdly redundant in attempts to understand and  control  the world around them or simply to avoid asking the one truly awesome question....why are carrots not blue?

 

So, in an awe inspired attempt to direct my mind away from the quandary that results from contemplating blue carrots I decided to get on the back of a tandem mountain bike and follow along behind Chris as he steers us into the unknown.

 

This act of intellectual distraction does lead to one very clear question however...what the hell was I drinking at the time I made this decision?!

 

Anyhow...decision made, bike purchased(after the sale of just one kidney!), and some short prayers to the good goddess   of insanity and we're off!

 

so come along...share in our experiences as we hurtle headlong into the dark, swerving(in control for the most part!) between  trees, mud bogs and sand drifts in an attempt to get familiar with a tandem mountain bike  prior to grinding through the 80k's that is the Molesworth Muster!

 

We offer you all the opportunity to share knowledge gained, rules learnt and gravitational physics challenged ..or more simply put, we offer you all the chance to laugh your asses off as we  get to grips with this amazingly incredible experience.

 

See ya on the single tracks

 

Logan.

A hattrick of near misses

Another post-work night ride, but this time we headed back out to Bottle Lake for a mix of gravel, single track, mud and trees.

It's an easy ride to Bottle Lake, and we cruise for a wee while on the nice wide level forestry roads. The sun has set, it's dark, and my light is fully charged (thankfully) and working well. Confidence is high. We decide to give one of the easier single-track paths a go, it has gentle corners and no major humps and consistently level. We weave and dodge, avoiding the trees and staying on track to the end of the path. Logan is happy, I'm reliving every single one of the trees, but we focus on the next task - the Pegasus Track.

Last time we did this, it was daylight, and there were puddles galore. This time however, it's pitch black, and most of the puddles have dried up. We apply some power and the track burns up under us. The only thing that stops us  dead is a deep sand drift on the top of the bank. We hit it, and stop. Logan performs a less than graceful dismount and we move the entire 2m required to clear the sand. When you have the same number of wheels and twice the weight, you sink into the soft stuff a lot further, and it eats your wheel making cornering, or even moving, nearly impossible.

Back on we hit the track again, zigging and zagging and making damn good time. It's not until we hit the 2nd of the sand drifts that the first of the hattricks presents itself. A slow s-bend with high sand on each side, and we strike a deep bit. The front wheel digs in, turns 90 degrees, but we're still flying forwards. Some quick thinking (well, blind panic) and we recover, losing only a small amount of speed, except now we have some extra adrenalin to burn off.

Feeling fine, we get to the end of the track, spin around and prepare to head back. There have been very few puddles this time, just some wet ground, so we're clean and dry still. The return leg however is different. We're against the regular flow of the track, and it's dark, and I have only done it in this direction a couple of times before so most of the corners are going to be a surprise to me too. The line you take corners in one direction is completely different to the return, and due to the lower traffic, it's less clean. Twice, while heading back, we lose the front wheel. We lost it both times due to cornering through a mud puddle which was completely bypassed in the other direction. It is very scary having the bike slip away while you are cornering and peddling. We recovered each time tho. That can only mean one thing of course - we were not going fast enough!

We slipped back onto the forestry roads again, and back to the single track we did on the way in. Logan exclaims "that track is a lot easier than Pegasus" to which I reply "that's because you can't see the trees!"

Out of the forest and back onto the road, heading home. Another successful ride, another lesson learned (the faster you go, the easier it is to recover?) and more km's under the wheels. Cornering is getting better, we're getting the hang of each others style, and both of us are able to cope with the distances. Of course, we haven't done an uphill yet (maybe next year?) but I think I want more time on easier surfaces before I hit the Port Hills. Maybe a couple of laps of the Little River Rail Trail is in order? Yes, that's the next challenge I think - an 80km ride offroad! Should fill a morning.

Strangers in the night

What's madder than taking a blind person mountain biking? Doing it at night!

Yep, tonight we headed out to the river stopbanks. We had to scale a few fences (4 each way) during the ride down to the stopbanks, using a secret route I scouted out earlier in the week. I was looking for a shortcut from home to McLeans Island, and as off-road as possible. I found it, and we got some permission to use the road so long as we take care of it. As a short-cut, it only adds about 2km to the journey. Each way. So a trip from home to McLeans Island for a quick 10km lap adds up to about 35km, but that's for later, not tonight.

We headed off at dusk, quickly made it to the first gate (barbed wire) and were over in rapid time. Second gate, even quicker. A 3km burst to gate #3, dodging and weaving around the rabbits, who all seemed friendly enough, although a little scared, then a final stretch to the last gate, and the stopbanks were in front of us. 

The sun has set, it is that odd light where the difference in colours means a pothole. Maybe. I flick on my homemade 50watt halogen headlamp and now I can see, although it doesn't make the ride any softer - we have no suspension on the front, so I can feel every rock and hole as the front wheel parts the gravel like the bow of a large ship.

In short time, it's black, and without light we'd be stuck in the wilderness, lost, sad, hungry. We make it to the end of the river, or as far as we can go, and wheel back to the road we came in on. Soft gravel + tandems = scary as hell! The front wheel is bouncing and sliding through the deep stuff, and Logan is still peddling away like a mad badger, seemingly unconcerned for our combined safety!

With some relief, we arrive back at the access road. Probably just as well as my light is dying fast (yea, I should have charged the battery first I guess) so we push down the road nice and swiftly. It is black, no moon or stars, the fog is starting to descend, and I'm surging down the road with about 2watts of light in front, and a madman behind. I can't see a damn thing and just hope we're not heading towards disaster as Logan pushes us faster and faster. I see the rabbits again, only now they don't seem so scared of us and their eyes are glowing with malice in the weak light I am giving off... We leap the gates with the light finally dying somewhere between the last two. But now we are back in civilisation, streetlights!

A quick spin home (test those top gears out) and we arrive safe. My hands are still clenching the handlebars, and I think they are gonna hurt tomorrow, but we didn't crash. This means that test is over, and we need a new challenge for tomorrow... Hmm... I think we'll be doing singletrack before too much longer.

Crikey.

Now you're mountain biking!

I used my good friend Google Maps to plan a ride. Logan suggested an 8:30am start. Well, I picked my jaw up off the ground, and stupidly agreed. As the day got closer and closer, I wondered why the hell I suggested going off-road already! I had less than a couple of hours on a tandem, and I was going to go off-road? Crazy.

Well, the morning rolled around, and I was ready at 8:30am on the dot. As was Logan. So, we headed off to Bottle Lake Forest Park, a short (quiet) ride away. It was about 10km to the gate, then the panic started. We had ridden the road quite easily, and the tandem thing was starting to sink in, but now we were heading into gravel, potholes, puddles, rocks, trees, wilderness, wildlife!

A strategic decision was made to not ride the single track yet, but get to grips with the soft surface first. I was having difficulty cornering sharply on the road, this was going to be harder again! So we rode the logging roads to the Pegasus Bay track, and turned on the power. Plenty of potholes, lots of deep muddy puddles, random rocks and piles of sand, the occasional tree, and more muddy puddles. We made it to Spencer Park, wet, filthy, and on a bit of an adrenalin high. Brain cells must have shaken loose, as we both decided to do it again. We did bash through some single track when a wrong turn made it do or die, but made it through almost unscathed. Then we almost had a crash (soft surface + me not paying attention) and pushed on. So, about 20km of muddy madness and we hit the road back home again. Bloody fantastic. We got home, slightly drier, but covered in mud, and one step closer towards confidence on the trails.

Lesson of the day - tandems are longer than regular bikes, so when you are riding over a hump, and adjust your pedals to not bottom out on the top of it, do not forget the person behind you will hit it if you start peddling too soon.

First ride - together

How often do you recon you can sing "a bicycle built for two" in your head during your first tandem ride? The answer is a lot!

We went for a short taster ride, pretty much all on-road, clicking up about 25km together. How different was it? Totally. Having the extra power when you ask for it is great, and cruising speed is way higher. However, cornering is wide and scary. It was pretty dark when we got back, and we both decided that riding on the road was noisy, and crossing the busy roads was hard too. We had several busy roads to traverse, roundabouts to navigate, cars to avoid... yuk.

We got back home, safe, undamaged, and planning the next ride.

Road next time? Hell no, lets hit the mud!

Step Two - Buy the bike

I think logan sold one of his children, but before I could convince myself it was all a bad dream, we had a bike. It's a Diamondback tandem - MTB style! It has some issues, so is sent into the chaps at Pushbikes in Papanui to get sorted. After several phone calls and some welding and a new chain and some new cables, and more besides, it's ready to roll. I picked it up from the shop and took it for a solo ride.

Cor.

These things don't do corners very well do they? And if you put the back brakes on when you don't have a Stoker (see, I'm getting the lingo already!) weighing down the back you do some mighty powerslides. I spent about 45 mins riding around in the dark, trying to figure out how much easier or harder it will be when Logan jumps on and starts peddling like crazy.

I'm worried.

Tomorrow is our first ride. I've been reading up on the techniques and tips from other tandem riders, and so it seems we'll be ok, but I'm worried none the less.

Ahh well, what's the worst that can happen?

Step One - find a blind person, convince them you are sane

Easier said than done!

 

On Queens Birthday each year, I head south and have a ride in the annual Run 79 Lake tekapo MTB Pursuit. After the 2008 ride, my wife was talking to Logan about it and he expressed some interest. Well, one thing led to another and we started talking tandems.

 

Now, if you have never done this ride before, let me fill you in on it a bit. It is held in june, winter, and it's damn cold. It's also 90km long, with a river crossing through ice cold water half way through. Oh, two rivers. My first year saw the river rise so much they had to send a unimog to get people over. Last couple of years have been nice in comparson. Bear in mind that the river crossing itself is several km alone.

The ride to the crossing is a mix of road and gravel, then turns into farm tracks, which are mostly mud and rocks and puddles. You are almost happy to see the Godley river because you're caked in mud, and then you take your first step in it. Wow, cold, numbing, pain. And that is the first of up to 20 crossings, then you have to ride a few more km before you get to the Macauly for a shorter but deeper couple of crossings.

And now you are half way. This is a good place to swap shoes for dry ones and eat something. The road from here back to Tekapo is long, seemingly uphill, usually into a headwind, and seems to take forever.

There is a couple of climbs which sap the last of your energy before a small singletrack section before the finish line.

 

Now, having described this, and more, in detail, to Logan, he was still keen. He's a mad man. He has done plenty of tandem riding (on the road) in the past, I have done none, plus I hate road cycling. So, next step, find a bike! Buddy, can you spare a few grand, because these puppies cost more than my car!