Lonely Planets "Cycling New Zealand" covers our planned route to Lake Tekapo, however they suggest breaking the ride into two days, we're attempting it in one. The morning started with a number of rolling hills that gradually got bigger and bigger. It's depressing knowing the you only have to climb 550m above your starting altitude but continually climb two or three hundred metres only to descend back to where you started. The plus side is that in New Zealand, when your making the big climbs, you recieve many beeps and waves of encouragement as forge you way up the mountain. It tends to give you that extra 10% that you feel you so desperately need.
Reaching the summit at 709 metres we took a quick break out of the sun before attacking the short but rewarding decent. Just as I was building speed I got hit in the left shin by a bee driving her dart deep into my flesh. Trying to remove the stinger at 60 kph proved too difficult and I had to stop to preform triage on myself. Olivier was looking for matches to burn me, WTF! He said his mother is a Doctor and that is what she would do when he was a kid. Stand back Olivier, I'm all good.... The swelling took two days to subside which was odd but I still have a pea sized bruise where the bugger got me.
Another 92km and 1060 metres of climbing done. Where's the masseuse?
Reaching the summit at 709 metres we took a quick break out of the sun before attacking the short but rewarding decent. Just as I was building speed I got hit in the left shin by a bee driving her dart deep into my flesh. Trying to remove the stinger at 60 kph proved too difficult and I had to stop to preform triage on myself. Olivier was looking for matches to burn me, WTF! He said his mother is a Doctor and that is what she would do when he was a kid. Stand back Olivier, I'm all good.... The swelling took two days to subside which was odd but I still have a pea sized bruise where the bugger got me.
Another 92km and 1060 metres of climbing done. Where's the masseuse?
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| Mt Hutt |
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| I think I can, I think I can... |
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| Lake Tekapo |
Lucky you didn't get stung on the bollocks!
ReplyDeleteStrike a light - Mate!