My last long training ride before the Taupo fun ride 30/10/2013 210 km

Last long training ride before Taupo 

After a busy weekend helping at an dressage event I was laying in my tent thinking about what day this week to do my last long training ride before the up coming Taupo fun ride - a long training ride in this case meaning a ride over 150 km and where to go for a ride 

As I road into town enjoying the nice weather I thought about maybe heading out the next day for the longer ride - after picking up some hammer suff ( the food/drink mix that I use on my longer fun rides and getting some new bike shorts I looked up the weather forecast for the next day or two - fine with a low of 2c. 

I wonder...

 maybe head out on a night ride tonight ?

By the time I got back from town to where my tent is ( a 25 km round trip) I desider to go for a long night ride doing a lap of the lake as my last long training ride 

After getting a few things together and packing a few things on the bike that I will need on the ride like warm clothing ( it's going to get very cold out in the hills riding around the lake tonight ) and the hammer drink/food mix that I will be using as I ride around the lake I head back into town 

Leaving town around 6 pm I start up the first of the many hills for the few hours the riding is mix of a flat bits and some longer hills - just on sun set at about to only place I might have remembering the turn on the course I stop to put on some warmer gear before getting back on the road passing the tihoi tavern ( one of the places I had a short sleep on last years ride ) riding around the lake I spot some of the landmarks that I remember from other rides around the lake - the stars are out and there's some wind 

From about 20 km out of turangi? I note my speed starting to drop off a bit as I get a bit sleeper - getting into turangi around 12:30 am I stop for a pie and to get some water to mix the few hours of food mix - at one point I stop to put my leg warmer over my 3/4 bike shorts to keep my legs a bit warmer 

As I head around the lake there are times when I only do a few km between road side naps so it's a very slow ride a round the lake back to Taupo climbing the hatepe hill around 3 am and getting back into Taupo about 5 am stoping at a bp for pie and hot drink to help stay awake for the last 12 km back to my tent - must of been a cold night as there was ice on the tent 

I had about a 2 hour sleep in my tent before taking it easy reading a few ebooks on the laptop for the rest of the day  

All up I end up doing around 210 km - 2 round trips into town - 50 km and a lap of the lake about 160 km  

Over the next few days I will be working on a list of things that still need work - like the best way to do sleep breaks as I start to taper down my riding so I'm not over trained and too tired for the fun ride 

k2 loop 217 km 5/10/2013

k2 loop 217 km 5/10/2013

Its time for my next long training ride. Where to go and how far to ride time?

looking at the map and a few of the cycling book that i have with me i see theres a ride called  K2 - its a loop around coromandel 197 km with 2300 m of climbing (and descent : ) so no a easy ride - i wonder if im up to doing this ride as im not sure what im like on longer rides- most of my rides lately has been around 35-70 km also the few longer rides i have done lately has not had that much climbing 

well at first i thought maybe not as i don't want to over do things (over training ) also so i would be adding 30 km to the loop - 15 km each way for me to get into Thames from where im staying in my tent 

hum what to do?

suff it - time for rule number 5

theres only one way to find out if i can do this ride -that way is just to do the ride and see what happens 

on the road by 6 am starting with 5 km of gravel road be for the tar seal starts - with the bike set up the way im looking at doing for the taupo ride- handle bar bag and tail bag (on top of the rear rack) food on this ride will be mostly nature valley bars -on the taupo ride i will use hammer food and drink 

in thames by 7 am - off to the supermarket to get some more food - well the supermarket is still closed until 8 am. time for plan B the food i have with me will last me about 100 km so i will just pick up some more food on the way some where

as im leaving the car park (of the still closed shop ) i spot some other riders getting ready to go for a ride so i have a 2 min chat to then . turns out they are also doing the k2 loop - the k2 bike race is in a few weeks time so theres a few groups of riders out riding the course

Leaving thames heading south? Towards Kopu the road is flat im riding along at about 20-25 km/h At Orongo? I turn onto the Kopu-Hikuai rd in places the road is rught as it heads along a valley before the first big hill of the day - part of the way up the climb a group of rider who just happen to be riding about the same speed as me comes up behind me - I have a bit of a chat to a few of the riders -well as much of a chat is one can having working they way up a some what long and steep hill. at the top of the hill the other riders stop to take a break ( as i tend to ride on my own i keeping riding getting up to around 60 km/h on the down hills - a few km latter the group of riders that i had a chat to on the way went past (riding in a paceline saves you about 20% energy? then being on your own ) - the group of riders and me play tag for a bit.

at one point as im doing around 30 km/h a bee hits my arm and stings me (ouch!) so I slow down a bit as i take a look at where the bee hit before getting back up to speed 

keeping up around 25-35 km/h until I get to Tairua where I stop to take off my leg warmers -yep summer is on the way : ) after getting a photo of the vile i get back on the bike heading over more hills and even a few flatter bits on the way to Whitianga where I stop for lunch and to pick up some more food for the rest of the ride (still have about 100+ km to ride today )

from Whitianga the road has many small hills and a few larger (and steeper ) hills - one of then has a sign at the top saying steep down hill - yep its a steep down hill as I get up to 80 km/h riding down it - A new top speed on my bike friday : ) after Te rerenga theres the cormandel wall (300 m climb in about 3 km ) spinning my way up the climb (in the heat of the day ) I sit around 6-8 km/h keeping my heat rate down

getting to the top of the hill I spend about 10 mins chating to some people who was asking about the bike friday  (tends to happen a lot : ) then its time to head down the hill to the town of coromandel - my new break pads get a good work on the down hill - 30 min up and 4 mins down. 5 mins latter as im coming into town i get a flat tire on the back i decide just to swap out the tube and pach it latter .

after a stop at a shop for a ice cream im back on the road riding beside the coast towards thames - theres still 2 big and steep hills to climb over - once i get over then the road runs beside the sea to Thames. using the aro-bars (more for a change of prosen ? then for speed ) for the last hour or so to Thames  im riding at around 20-25 km/h 

stoping in Thames for some subways for tea ( a nice sit down tea for a change : ) then its time to put the leg warmer back on for the last 15 km back to my tent over a few small hills and 5 km of gravel back to my tent 

time on the bike for the k2 loop was about 11 hours - maybe 14 hours for the full 217? km - long lunch and tea + flat tire and chatting to people a long the way : ) yes I could of gone faster but as it's my fun training ride and not a race I get to decide where to ride and how fast : )

In short a long hot fun day out on the bike riding though some nice parts of NZ

camp ground to a doc camping ground near thames 50 km 02/10/2013

camp ground to a doc camping ground near thames 50 km 02/10/2013

some what of a late start as far as time goes because of day light saving - not that i take much noict of time on the bike as i just ride until i get to where im heading for or until its gets dark - unless its on a night ride then i just keep riding : )

the road is flat as it runs along the plans with the only climb until thames being the new? kopu bridge (that has a nice wide off road cycle/walk way on it )  im heading is some what of a u shape at times riding beside the coast . at kopu I deside to head into thames by the rail trail just for a change : ) the trail is gravel with a few bridges and some min?cattle stops that my bike trailer just fits though onice i get into thames i start looking around town only to relase its sunday with many of the shops closed - like what hour of the day it is  , the day of the week mends little to me most of the time (about the only time i take note of the time or day is when i need to be some where by a date or time ) so after a stop to drop off a roll of film (to be picked up some time in the next few day’s ) and to get some food for the next few days i head down a road thats a mix to tarseal then gravel as i head away from town up the kauaeranga valley where there is doc camping sites a long the road (8 doc camping ground open in sumer and only 3 open in winter) for $10? a night 

getting to the first doc site thats open I set up camp for the next few days - some times heading into town (like today - a 30 km round trip ) or just having time off the bike ( reading the odd book and giving the bike a good going over - replacing the break pads also swaping the rear tire as I fix a slow flat (that I been to lazy to fix for the past week or so : )