Riding New Zealand

The first reaction I generally get when I (or others) tell someone I’m going to ride NZ is, WTF are you crazy?

It seems like an impossible feat for nonbikers, right? It stands out as a holy grail achievement, even for those who cycle.
(I’m not taking that away from any long-distance riders who have done this or more -bloody legends that you are!)
I know for me, it will become the catalyst for even more adventure rides to follow.

And, yes. It is Crazy (I do Crazy right)

To break that all down as what I like to consider
“my convincing internal thoughts”
on why I am even doing this in the first place.
At the end of the Day,

It is just riding.

To set the Scene. 
The distance is 3000km (ish)

“Ish” because there may be some detours. But give or take whatever distractions I encounter, let’s call it 3000km I need to do.

One question I do get is: "how long will this ride take you?" 

Great question; let me overthink that a bit. (Anaylist says what!)

My Doug maths says 3000km divided by whatever KM you think you can ride each Day + recovery days you will need = how long it is going to take,

So, in theory, Riding 100km daily will take me 30 days with no recovery days. Ha! (like that is going to happen)

In reality, I won’t always be riding 100km daily; some days will be less distance, and others will be more.
I mentally expect to ride between 80 – 150km daily, give or take. I also expect there will be odd days I won’t be riding. I don’t know when that is, but I’m sure my body will tell me, or a mechanical on the bike will make me.

When do I plan to start? Tentatively, its Jan 3rd or 4th, 2024
Start Time is subject to the tide on the 90-mile beach 

(FYI- which isn’t even 90 miles)

I’m also doing it Solo, unsupported.
This means riding NZ alone, with no support crew following me, who I would expect to have Cider ready for me at the end of the Day.

So, how do you plan for this craziness?
I can tell you, I've been planning it for a while in my head. 

More so, mentally preparing myself for being away from Family and Friends for a long time. 

First, there was the announcement to Fam at the end of 2022 that I would do it in 2024. That was my first commitment.
Then now (3+ months away from actually doing it), it’s the “shit” I need to start making a solid plan on how to do it.
Truthfully, the first nine months have been about thinking about it. Believing you can do it is the first step.

My Concerns? Yeah, there are a few.

My main concern (aside from not being with Family for that length of time) is ‘what will be the biggest threat be, that would stop me from completing this ride.’
I’m not worried about the distance, cycling, camping in a tent, finding food, or riding Solo (isolated in places). I’m worried (if worry means being mildly concerned) about what can stop me from riding.

And that is Ta Da! – Fat Bike Tyres. Yip. Rubber between me and the road.

Yeah. In a nutshell. If I destroy a tire, it is not like I can go into a local bike shop and get a replacement. You can’t buy Fat Bike Tyres off the shelf in NZ. My tyres are 26″ x 4″ wide. – Cool, aye. But not so cool when you need one.

Intentions with these posts.
I last blogged about riding when we did the Ghostroad in 2021. 

Rest assured, I am not a blogger. However, while thinking about doing the ride, I thought, “How about I document it?” like doing a Video? ummmm. The problem is whether I can be bothered to Go Pro the Journey and spend hours editing footage daily. And the simple answer to that is Fkk No, I can’t.

So, my intention with posting on my site is to document the planning and build-up to the ride itself, and then I will switch to apps to showcase the ride as it unfolds.

Like Relive Pro. And that’s because of two things.
1, it is almost semi-automatic for me to make it happen on Relive, and
2, if you are following my journey, you can get my Day’s activity visually on a cool 3D map + photos snapped during, all summarised for you in about a minute, so you don’t get bored.

I’ll also use Strava, Komoot and Instagram.

I know one thing you will never get from a video or photo: the actual feeling when you ride through a cool-as-fkk place. I realized this when myself, Froning and Phil rode from Queenstown to Invercargill. Going through the Remoteness of Mavora Valley is breathtaking. But you cannot express it in a Video or Photo. You need to be there.

But wait STOP! So that I don't bombard you with pages and pages 
of waffle in one post. (such as I'm doing now..)

My plan moving forward is to cover the following topics in other posts.

I am doing this for the following reasons.

1. 1. You who are reading this might care. I tend to fall off the grid a bit (unplug from the Matrix, say to speak), so here I will give you documentary evidence that I’m still alive. Thank me later.
   2. One Day, someone might want to do this ride themselves (maybe even you), so here is my blog on how to do just that.
   3. I need it for myself to ensure I am organised to do it.

In the next posts, I will cover Topics like:

Planning

• How to start, how to get there, what you need to navigate your way
• The Route I plan to take. North Island, then the South Island

 

Physical Prep

• How did I train for this Ride. Did someone say Zumba? 

Bike Prep

• What to carry and why (shut up, Matt. I need more bags)
• PreCheck – fixing stuff now instead of in the middle of nowhere.
• Maintenance and Breakdowns – how I will deal with these.
• WTF do I do about tires? Alas, people, I have a cunning plan.

Gear Prep

• What you need to take or not take. (Take too much and carry it for no reason; not take enough and suffer for no reason, except for being your own fault)

Off-bike logistics

• WTF am I going to do when I’m not riding. (6-10 hours riding per Day, then what?)

Communication

• How to keep in touch with Fam and Friends. 

Work

• How do I work remotely? (Does Doug work? -um)
  • Aka. How to keep the export/import business going. (Is that a front? Yup- sure is)

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Being just a bit technical, you already know that spreadsheets are sometimes going to be included! (Don’t worry, Froning, it doesn’t mean you have to look a them.)

Happy Days!

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