Hanmer Springs to Christchurch

Day 24 - Sunday 21 March 2010

Dist: 139 km. Av. Speed: 30.1 km/hr. Cal: 3340. Ride Time: 4 hours 36 min

An early start was exactly what we needed (not) to back up after yesterday’s race! However I was up at first light to change my tyres back to road slicks for the trip into Christchurch and swap out yet another broken pedal. Thanks Pete for the loan of your pedals for this leg - they go fast mate, I couldn’t hold them back!

After the others arose we scoffed some breakfast, organised some lunch and packed up Kim’s wagon with all the gear Joris and I didn’t want to carry for the day. I hope that’s OK with the rules adjudicator?

Again the weather was perfect for cycling and Joris and I were expecting to make good time to Christchurch as the road drops about 350m over the 140km. However we surprised even ourselves with how good we felt and just how fast we could travel with no gear as we rolled out of town before the traffic started.

Our first stop was in Culverden around 30km down the track and we reached it in just over an hour, working really well together in tandem to keep the average speed up over 30. The rest of the crew had a big nosh-up in Hanmer before they left and they caught us just as we were tucking in to our date scones, so they joined us for a quick break at the café.

The next milestone was Weka Pass for lunch, then out on to SH1 at Waipara and south toward Christchurch. The highway was pretty busy as people returned to the city after the weekend but the wide shoulder felt safe enough.

Our average speed was still way up there but took a bit of a knock as a slight cold head wind kicked in for the last section of SH 7.

We called in to say hi to Rangi in Leithfield, just as he was pulling a tray of savouries out of the oven. Thanks Rangi, it was good to catch up with you and Nicki.

The final push into Christchurch down Marshlands Road was a wee bit slower due to the traffic and the fact that we were running out of legs, but we still got to Joris’ accommodation just after 4pm happy with an average speed of just over 30km/hr for the day. I think that must be some kind of record for a Hanmer - Christchurch two-man time trial on mountain bikes with handlebar bags!

The riding was awesome today thanks Joris - I was worried it was going to be a really tough day after yesterday but it was a blast. Thanks for joining me since Wellington, it’s been really fun and you’ve been a huge help getting me almost a third of the way down the South Island already.

Thanks too, to Kim and Frankie for the pickup, bed and dinner tonight - your hospitality is greatly appreciated.