round lake taupo bike ride

It’s 11:30 pm and its time to get up and pack up my gear (after only getting to sleep an hour before) riding down hill into taupo at around 12:30 am

So what am I doing riding the town of taupo after midnight on a friday night? I’m going for a bike ride 2 times around lake taupo (leaving most of my gear in taupo )what is around 320 km (or 200 miles) there is around 70 other people doing the same ride (and theres about 10,000 people starting just part of one times around or 1 one times around (160 km) later that day (saturday) on the wednesday about 20 riders starter riding 8 laps of the lake (around 1250 km) so I wont be own all the time .

getting some think to eat at the BP -where else can one go and find some food at this time of night (not much open around midnight on a friday night in taupo)
Near the start line I do some last min things to my gear -after a bit of a talk and a roll call it’s 1:30 am and time to start -ever one starting at the same time with me about last riding off- as the km past I will be passing a few riders. going down to the river and up the first hill (one of many to come) I keep one eye on my heart rate (I like to keep it below 170 bmp) I look at the tail lights to the riders ahead of me climbing up the hill.

it’s a nice night for being out on the bike with not much wind (it’s a nice change from some of the days out training on the bike -riding into 60+km head winds) riding over rolling hills (at lest I thing there are rolling hills as it is a bit hard to tell in the dark even with good bike lights-maybe thats a good thing that I can’t see where the hills are.) with just few cars pasting by ( support people helping some of the riders out). I get my headphones out and start listing to mp3’s to help me not to fall asleep on the bike(It’s never a good thing to fall asleep when riding a bike-and no I have not do that yet thought I know a few who have ) having the sound on low so i can still hear cars and people talking.

There is a few people park in drive ways who call out and wave (with the odd look as I go past- must be the bike friday as I often get funny looks when riding it places )going down some of the hill’s I get up to around 50+km/h part of the way around the course there is a sharp bend where I don’t slow down much for (around a 90% bend )as I done a lot of riding around sharp bends before at night (so don’t try this home )its was a bit like riding in to a black hole before my bike light went round (I used my head light to see around bends in the road) passing some of the riders who was riding the 8 laps and saw a few of the others doing the 2 lap’s happy riding at my own speed around the course (it’s not a race)

some where near the souther end of the lake I come across one of the 4 riders riding 4 laps of the lake and had a chat for a bit before riding off (I was riding a little faster then they were) with the small 20 inch wheel’s and low gearing (as I use the bike a lot for touring on )the bike friday climbs hills easy. some time time after 3:30 am I stop to change batters on my bike light as it’s going flat (on long night rides aways have spare batters and a spare light with you) around 5 am I start to see the sky lighting (the start of dawn) I stop to take my arm and leg warmers off (on the first lap I only stop 3 times and for never more the 3 mins each time)

Enjoy the very fun long down hill near the kuratau relay point there is a few more uphill’s until the look out over the lake and a down hill with a few bumps near waihi siting around 27-30km/h to turangi dealing with the sun in my eyes as the sun comes up. from turangi to the hatepe hill I sit at around 27-30 km/h along the flats near the lake before going over some small hills (around Bulli point )passing a few of the rides who are also doing 2 lap's of the lake (getting more funny looks from the rider's as I ride pass them) going up and over the last long hill before taupo I ride along the flats (and a few small hills ) before getting into taupo .where I am trying to find the caltex service station where I need to check into before I start the 2 lap of the ride. near the caltex I see my friend max who offers to ride the 2 lap with me so after we find the caltex and check in it's time to start the 2 lap of the ride some of the big groups of rides (who are doing one lap)are starting around the same time on the main road. going up the hill out of taupo I get passed by lots of other riders (the fast groups)

There are lots of people out around the course on the side of the road calling out and waving to the rides as they ride pass. having a bit of a chat to some of the others ride's as I ride over the hills with lots of people asking about the bike . Some where around 1/2 way around I start passing people going up hill. stoping at some of the water stops as It's getting to be a hot day. Some time's max ride's ahead of me with me catching up on the hills then it’s down the big hill (with people one the side of the road telling some of the riders to slow down as the down hill has some sharp bends )into Tokaanu and thought turangi onto S.H.1 on the side of the road there is a bike power band playing.

Riding a long the flats between turangi and Bulli point I ride in a few pace-lines siting around 25 km/h .riding around the buffs theres not much room on the road with the cars and trucks going pass) riding up the hatepe hill at around 8-10 km/h I see a lot of people walking up the hill (a lot of the bikes I see don't have low gears) then back a long the flats having a chat with some of the others rider’s before riding over last rolling hills into taupo. going down the main street to the finish line (fishing with a time around 16 hours for the 2 laps) where I get off the bike and stay around to see the prize giving .