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!