tour NOTES de kiwi—2075k in training!

You have seen the film now read the tale!

Smokkelaars — Van dutch tour diary
New Zealand 2008-2009

dec 23
omaru

its 1pm, I am in Oamaru and will ride on today to a little place called Herbert. I have started the journey on a cloudy overcast first day and it took me inland to Darfield. 50 k's. Next morning pissing with rain and had to stay in the hotel.

Next morning rode from Darfield to Mt Somers, early still in poaring rain but after a few hours in clearing weather.
88k's

Yesterday put in big effort of 107 k's but got scary moment when a hoon threw a milkshake at me as he overtook on a busy highway. The cup splintered to pieces on my right calve and my calve and pants were soaked in caramel and coffee! Kept outwardly calm but fumed inside and battled on but could have killed them. Nasty stretch highway yesterday with irritated drivers. More horning just behind me that kind of stuff. I stuck so far to the left of the emergency strip that I was touching the dirt and grass. Safety for cyclists is a big issue.

So far today once again riding very hard because of strong tailwind and can make up some ground for loss of a day. Another good hour from here should be my camp. NZ has like France communal campings. Primitive but cheap and accesible for everyone. That where I spend most nights.

Tomorrow (24/12) hope to reach Dunedin. I can't believe my luck with this wind. It could very well be the other way arounbd which would see me battle for hours. Now its great. 4 hrs of riding a day is sweet.

Big stories when I get back. Wear Smokkelaars jersey every day!

Geert van dutch

I am as stiff as an old plank and got sunburned yesterday. But enjoying my detox process!



24 december
dunedin

I am in Dunedin and have more tales to tell. Last night I camped at a department of conservation ground in Herbert. A true 'nature' lovers site and which was just what I needed after a sleep disturbed night before. I had ridden another 97 k's yesterday and totally enjoyed being there. It was serene. No traffic, birds, distant noise of a fast streaming river. Having my own picnic table where I got stuck in sketchbook and notebook. Cooked an instant Continental meal but... with fresh garlic, red onion, capsicum, chili and half a carrot! Tuna on toast for desert. A good book about the Triad structure of Chinese mafia for night time reading, which I had borrowed in one of the domain camping a few days before.

Until, in the middle of the night cars started to arrive, leaving again with loud engines revving. Then, At 3 am an elderly lady, camping across the commons from me started to (i swear) play talk back radio. LOUD! !F*! I was sunburned in neck and arms and they also did not help much . My last resort in noisy sleep circumstances is a set of quality German earplugs. But they did not help me to sleep either and I waited for 7.30, jumped on the bike and rode on. It was a nightmare. I saw black spots of fatigue and every undulating climb (many all of a sudden) I suffered. Mentally and physically spent. No will power, nothing in the tank. I got to a town called Palmerston. I stopped at the tourist office and they told me the bus to Dunedin had just left! Across the road I saw a tourist train, an old train being loaded with people so I asked the lady: 'What about the train?' She ran to the perron and got me, bike and Bob on board. Traveled in relative luxury and comfort to beautiful Dunedin. What joy.

I was sick this morning with tiredness and now I struggled to keep eyes open in the comfy seats of the train. Tomorrow is of course xmas and I have decided to stay in Dunedin for the day. I need a rest and they forecast rain tomorrow so good spot to chill. Took a long shower, shave and now I am going to find some food. Tomorrow i will rubberneck, on foot.

Then I push om to the southern town of Invercargill. Which probably takes me 2 or 3 days. I am going to bus another section, maybe to Invercargill. I am running behind my schedule and I want to ride relaxed so I am not in a rush to meet 'deadlines' every day.


Dec 29
G'day from Invercargill.

I am staying here 2 days in a friendly backpackers. Rode another three days since Dunedin of which the last 2 were gruelling. I look at my gut and the spare tyres are still there but can see no way to ride harder or more. So as this is also a holiday, not just a ruthless fitness regime, I am staying a few days here. Beautiful down here in the south. Rode through quiet are Catlins and camped three nights in the wild under the stars as the weather is fantastic. But the roads are very hilly down here and I hear my bike & bob squeek as I push in smallest gear to get on top of yet another bloody hill. 3.9, 3.5, 4.1 k/hr on the speedo! That kind of work. I burn up so much energy it isn't funny and it seems tougher than when I was riding in Tassie. That could also be because I …am a bit older.

Its embarrassing…For every pound that went through the mouth I pay double. Fair enough. I don't feel sympathy with myself but am determined to make this trip a positive reversal.

Yesterday, fairly fatigued from the day before I started with a 30k dirt road ride over undulating terrain after which I needed to push another 50 with a headwind that nearly blew me back. I managed 25 of it, then found a primary school with public toilets and a good lawn and called it a day. I was so tired and hot that when I got up this morning feeling quite ill and had diarhea. I rode the rest of the 25 to Invercargill feeling pretty poor and checked in a backpackers. The clothes are in the washing machine, I stank, the bike has been fixed. Broken spoke and the gears would not work properly as my trailer had damaged the rear gear cable.

The guys that run the b.p have parafernalia from 'The fastest indian in the world' on display. They knew Bob Munro, a local boy. Great film.

After this rest the serious mountains are in vision. I will travel to Queenstown, then Wanaka and there serious passes need to be negotiated. I have decided to ride less every day. F*** the itinerary and enjoy a bit more, recuperate better and maybe cut off a section if I am in the North.

Now I am going to eat some lunch. Tonight I will get some decent food in me as I have been eating crackers, muesli bars, cheese, veg.mite, instant noodles, continental instant meals and liters of water, half of those mixed with Powerade.

Some stats:
Total distance: 681.2k
Total Time: 38.53 hrs

Dec 31
happy newyear from invercargill.

Still here but got some medicine now to get my bowel under control. Doctor said combination of fatigue and suspect water. Resistance had gone too low. The good thing is that i am still a lucky bastard, live in a nice, quiet backpackers with friendly people and have a good chance to rest and read. that's all that is possible in this part of the world as I'cargill is very very much at the end of the english speaking world. I will have to change my route a bit though but that's cool to.

have a wonderful start of 09

jan7
kingston
just ate a great burger at a roadside stop in Kingston and they have internet so i will quickly update before i push on. an hour ago or so while pushing hard i reached the 1000 k milestone so i am pretty happy with that. the last 5 days have been amazing and i am finally enjoying myself after a shaky start.

i had to stay 4,5 days in invercargill as i was just very sick and tired. on the last day i had my stool checked at hospital and bloodtests done and the doctor told me it was just an unfortunate bug, combined with exhaustion and the heat in which i had been boxing. but it paralized me as you can't ride when you are weak.

of course my body must have been in shell shock. from couch potatoe to daily exercise.

Ever since i hit the deep south of south island i have been confronted with the amazing natural force of strong headwinds. I had a few days where i averaged 12k a day, sometimes speed dropping to 8k/hr. Quite frustrating when you see smiling and happy cyclists coming your way! I met quite a few cyclists and they all stop for a chat. But, pushing through these frustrations also means I am getting stronger. In fact I feel that the trip has only started since invercargill. The scenery, mental and physical challenges, my mental adjustment, the camping, the people I met are just mindblowing. Just 2 nights ago i camped at a camping next to a lovely elderly French couple and their son, vanning around. They baked crepes for me after their diner and we talked about everything.

I am getting fittter as you can imagine. The spare tyres are still there but i am satisfied with my effort and decision to come here. My arse is raw and hurts every minute of the day. It feels like acne in the wrong place. Minced meat. when the going is slow over undulating terrain or against the strong wind, like i had in the last hour, the pain becomes almost unbearable and i have to take stops frequently. in a way i'm getting used to the idea that i will have problems with that until i finish, and that takes some pressure of me and i will be alright anyway. this is too good to let it be affected by a sore bum.

bike is holding up although today i notice funny sounds coming from under me and also gears are playing up a little. it needs new chain but that means replacing all cogs, front and back and i am not so keen on that right now. but if this gets worse i will have to fix it in queenstown or wanaka. i tend to ignore queenstown, tourist place, another 50 k away today and push in the direction of wanaka. i have changed my itinerary because losing so much time and will cut across the mountains from Greymouth via Lewis Pass to christchurch. in total i should have over 1750k on the clock by then. yes, i should be ready for the tour down under and will register today.

thinking about … one of the best things that happened. smokkelaars. i am a lucky bastard. cycling gives you plenty of time to deal with that. i should start 2009 with a high level of fitness. i am thinking of our ride in the TDU a lot and wonder how this massive fitness regime will manifest itself. Tend to take it easy on the day though and enjoy. really looking forward to that ride.

yesterday i started in drizzle, then hard rain. i found a school in a remote place and waited, dressed warmly, still freezing cold under a porch. the wait took 5 hours, by then i had completed 4 pages in my sketchbook, ate noodles, soup, crackers and muesli bars and a few instant coffees. when i got back on the road, at about 4, i had a section of tailwind and flew! descended at 68 k/hr with trailer holding up well. that, apart from the 2nd day of my trip, was the only rain affected day. the rest has been partly cloudy combined with sun and strong winds every day. it depends on what direction you go as how it affects you.

camped in the wild a few times at stunning places, next to riverbeds but also in villages. distances between destinations are huge here. the roads seem so endlessly long. if i am getting tired i look for water, fill up 2 bottles and camelback at a public toilet, than ride until i find a patch of grass, ideally private. that means behind a school, community hall or as in Balclutha on the rugby oval. every other day i visit a backpackers or camping to shower, meet some people and take it easy.

took over 250 photo's already which should make a great slideshow for when i get back.

adios, houdoe, c's ya,
Van Dutch

ps
met 2 new zealanders on a tandem (with trailer) coming my way. both spoke dutch and questioned me about my Smokkelaars outfit!


Jan9
Wanaka
just letting you know that i have registered for tdu.

am in wanaka now for a quick stop. buy supplies, email, then head north for a camp in the wild. tomorrow Haast pas after which i hit the westcoast. if the weather predictions are correct (they usually are here), i will have a tailwind for a few days.

had the hardest day yet yesterday but immense happy with my effort. rode from franktn to cromwell which was a beautiful ride, then turned north to Luggate with almost storm like headwinds. unbelievable. i couldn't go fsater than 8k/hr. left cromwell at 12.30 and arrived in luggate at 5! 94 k's in total. but a wash in the cold river, some tucker in me and chilling out in a comfy chair fixed me up.

as you can read, i'm in great spirits. spare tyres are deflating now.


Jan13
Ross
i am drinking long blacks and eating cakes in Ross, small mining town on the westcoast. have camped out for the last 8 nights and had 2 marathon rides a few days ago of which i still haven't fully recovered. this was because here in nz, there are great campsites run by the conservation dept and they are always at spectacular settings like lakes, high valleys in the mountains or rivers. so 3 days ago i rode 122 k's after climbing a pass in the morning, lots of undulation. the next day i rode another 110 for good measure and yesterday and today i feel serious deep fatigue. struggling the last 2 hours after getting up at a lake this morning. but i have worked out that i have one day to spare, so i reckon i might turn off early today and take another lake for its surroundings and tranquility (lake boneydoon). Been swimming in the lakes, washing my riding gear and had great company last night of a NZ fitness beast, just training with a tent strapped to his bike. i invited him to come over for tdu.

i noticed yesterday and today that i am not taking the beauty of this country in anymore. its getting from a to b and that's a sign i should take it easy. i have several options today to stop, after 2 hours from now. the trip is coming to an end soon. day after tomorrow, i should climb the Lewis pass (camp just before the summit), after that its down to Christchurch in 2 days. One day for relaxation in that city and the next day I am back to Adelaide.

when i am tired and the roads are long, and undulating i try to focus my mind on the good things that are waiting for me in Adelaide. our TeamS ride to or in the flinders! working a bit on my house, fitness, diner parties and staying healhty.

Ok, that's all from Ross.
Off to Christchurch.