Taupo training ride (again)

Solo road ride

It's getting close (four weeks) to the Taupo ride and I've been meaning to get at least one big ride in of over 250km including a couple of passes over the most hilly part of the course.  This weekend is it.

Sally very kindly volunteers to come and provide support which means we get to stay somewhere nice.  The Judge's Pool in Turangi is a good choice and considerably more private than the A Plus Sumarai Lodge Back Packers from two weeks back.

There's no drama getting out of Wellington and up to the motel shortly before midnight then straight into bed. The next morning we wake 11 hours and 56 minutes before the time for which I set the alarm (6.30 pm) and head up the road to Taupo.

A quick lube and tyre pump then Sally waves me off about 0800 and heads off in search of coffee. 

A quick lube,

And he's off

Judging by the photos she finds at least two sources of the brown nectar as well as Huka falls and numerous other spots to take pictures of the wee white car. 

Wee white car by coffee cart at lake

Huka falls

Huka falls

Huka falls car park

Lake view on way back to Turangi

I on the other hand am intending to follow the other route across the top of the lake this time but am a little vague about the correct turn off to get to SH 32.  Fortunately I catch a cyclist who knows the area and she points me in the direction of Marotiri Road.  Not before we pass a severely mashed ute that has just lost an argument with a milk tanker, which would explain the ambulance 10 minutes back. 

The first part of the course climbs steadily but reasonably gently for over 15 km; the air is decidedly cool and the westerly wind firm so the odd patch of sun is most welcome.  Having found Marotiri Road and navigated my way to the turn south onto SH 32 it's now the long haul down the western side of the lake.  It's 73km from the turn to Turangi and most of it is lumpy.

As the relentless series of hills roll by it's impossible not to think what it's going to be like climbing this latest rise after another 157km. The only break in the ride is when a bee bounces off my face, down my jacket and stings me on the arm, little bastard. Still, no magpie attacks today.

The weather stays cool throughout and the wind strong and mostly unhelpful, by the time I've scooted down Waihi Hill and into Turangi a little before midday, I'm ready for a warmer layer.

Sally is back at the Motel to feed me sandwiches and replace drink bottles as I lie on the bed and complain about my back, my bum and the wind. I stretch the rest out for a bit longer than strictly necessary so its about 1220 before I'm back on the road with a second Marino top. 

Motel in Turangi

Settling into my stride, a cyclist catches up and starts chatting.  Richard is also training and is completing a lap of the lake. His pace is slightly quicker than mine so we end up with a compromise somewhere in between as he seems keen on the company. 

He turns out to be quite the gun having won events in the past and completing Taupo in 4hr10 in 2007 when he last did it.  Truly impressive.  We take turns leading and although I give him the opportunity to leave me at Hatepe Hill we end up cruising up together.  As we make the final run into Taupo arriving around 1400 I can't help thinking how tired the pace is making me and what another 100km of hills is going to feel like.

Richard turns off to Acacia Bay after the short climb out of Taupo (and a bottle refill); I groan inwardly and start the climbing again.  The westerly has not dropped noticeably so it's a long grind and I promise myself a rest where Marotiri meets SH 32.  In the end I hold out until the Whangamata intersection where a farmer on a motor bike slows down to check whether the body on the side of the road might be in need of assistance.

The worst of the hills are still ahead but the total distance has whittled away to 63km, it's beginning to feel doable.

Eventually part way up one of the steeper climbs the wee white car hurtles past from the opposite direction.  Sally has had a snooze, done some shopping and has come up the lake to meet me via another photo stop or two.

Supposedly a picture of steam vents on a hill

My support crew administers replacement liquids, supplies some leggings against the declining temperature and agrees to meet me at the top of the next hill after 10km to see if a jacket is in order.  It's encouraging to have a chat and a brief lie down. 

Head down at top of steep bit

After a rest - still not very cheerful

A couple more rendezvous points and eventually it is the downhill at Waihi and, in the knowledge that there are no more hills and a flat run home I wave the support crew good bye.  The westerly is very helpful for the last 8km and it's an utter relief to dismount outside the unit after 264km of riding.

I'm not sure what was turning the pedals for the last wee while because all I can do is crawl on to the bed and lie there feeling nauseous.  It's some time before a shower is feasible and longer before dinner is possible.  Eventually I feel warm, vaguely human and able to stay awake long enough to get into bed.

Ohhhhwwwww

The next day starts sunny as we head off for breakfast at the Brown Sugar cafe in Taihape.  However, Taihape and Waioru seem to be the only places enjoying sunshine today and it's a cloudy trip home.  A couple of breaks keep the journey interesting; the Marino shop at Utiku just south of Taihape (some cool stuff here) and Liz Hardie's cafe in Foxton (spot the corrugated iron coffee cup sign on the left shortly after the Mobil) - a 'must stop' with a couple of interesting craft shops now co-located.