We were asked to arrive at the company’s office at 8am sharp (the first challenge; we’ve not been used to early and prompt starts!), so were pleased that on awaking the overnight rain had stopped and that the wind had dried off the ground quite quickly. The brisk wind had other implications too of course, though as it turned out it would be mostly helpful, with just a few sections of cross wind to contend with.
We turned up on time and were driven to Lauder with our hire bikes (reasonable quality but with big spongy saddles – mmm....) which would give us a ride of just over 30km back to Wedderburn where we would be returned to base. Although 35km is not that far, Heather does not cycle that much and by now I was gaining unfitness rapidly.... furthermore the trail comprises loose gravel, stones and pebbles so is quite hard and slow going.
We set out at a half reasonable pace, steadily climbing and passing through the Poolburn Gorge Tunnels, one of which is over 200m long and unlit. Fortunately we had been advised to take a torch and I had a decent cycle light with me. On exiting the longest we read the notice board explaining the construction and how this could be seen as you passed through the tunnel... yes, I went back and looked.
The route does its best to follow the contours, using bridges and tunnels to minimise gradients as it passes through the Ida Valley and climbs to its highest point after Otureha at 618m.
By the time we had got this far our pace had reduced considerably as Heather’s legs were rather lacking in zest, but now it was downhill all the way back to Wedderburn; however Heather is not a fan of loose surfaces and is not the best of descenders (she tells me that she is not about to start ‘off-roading’ as her keep-fit activity!) so this was not the blessing it might have been, though it was easier on the legs!
We arrived at Wedderburn some 5 hours after leaving Lauder, though this included picture stops, coffee, and simply admiring the view. A quick call to Ranfurly Bike Hire and they were there in about 15 minutes (we had been heading back towards them) to pick Heather up as I had opted to ride the last 12km back to base. This too was steadily downhill, and with a favourable wind I gave it some welly and was back before Heather had got out of the shower.
Wednesday.... a cooler day with less wind and a decision to be made. We were due to do the 32km ride from Ranfurly to Hyde, with an optional return ride for Mark. However there was some concern that completing the ride would leave Heather ‘crocked’ for days and she had not enjoyed the surface of the trail yesterday. The decision was made that Heather would go for a shorter on-road ride while Mark got on with the Hyde and back trip, so we let the bike people know and committed to no return lift from Hyde.
Heather rode part way to Naseby along quiet sealed roads, though her right knee was nagging on the rises so she returned via another route completing about 15km before lunch. Post lunch she explored locally and then found a little circuit for some more pedalling which included what would be the final kilometres of Mark’s ride.
Mark headed off for Hyde finding the first section of the trail similar to yesterday’s, though ahead lay the Rock and Pillar mountain range, complete with vey dark clouds. The forecast had predicted ‘possible showers in the afternoon’ so there was no surprise for the first spots of rain at 11am! In the vale between the trail and the Kakanui Mountains the low cloud remained, with the mountains appearing above the bank of cloud.
The rain stopped and the trail passed by the plains which were Taieri Lake but which had been filled with the debris from the gold mining activity in the area, it being estimated that the silt is 2m deep in places. The trail then passed through Daisybank where the scenery changed as the Upper Taieri Gorge unfolded with the dramatic rock faces forming the backdrop for the Taieri River below.
The trail then passed over the Cap Burn railway bridge, through the 152m Prices Creek tunnel before the steady descent into Hyde where a hotel and cafe was open with an excellent range of sandwiches and a very welcome coffee.
A 20 minute break for lunch included catching up with a couple of people met on the trail on the previous day, and then it was time to start the return journey. The start of this was the return up that nice descent described above back to the tunnel – either a nice warm up, or a good way to finish off weary legs..... the sun was trying to shine and at last I took my fleece off and looked a bit more like a cyclist again. For a while this fooled my body, aided by the cheery greetings by those I had seen earlier who were on their way to Hyde. The scenery looked quite different heading back, helped by the lack of dark grey clouds and a bit more sun getting through.
With about 10km to go I started getting into that mode where you keep looking for the next kilometre marker, each photo break giving a short ‘refresh’ of the legs; the last 2km seemed to take an age, but then there was somebody I recognised riding the other way – Heather completing one of her circuits. A quick catch up and then it was a gentle ride back to base for a very welcome shower and cup of tea. Just over 4 hours riding ensured I had sore legs to go with my sore backside!
No comments:
Post a Comment