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!