It was somewhat of a last minute decision to enter the MegaGrind, things lined up and I had the green light 7 days before the start. I purchased some expensive airfares from Christchurch to Rotorua and got organised to ride somewhere new. Even packing my bike in my Bike Bag was fun as its being so long since I had travelled with my bike because of the ongoing pandemic. I flew from Christchurch to Rotorua early on the 11th of November, checked into a motel, put my bike together and went for a spin to get my bearings. I had not been to Rotorua in 10 years but had not forgotten the famous sulphur smells of the area
Exciting to ride somewhere new
Rotorua’s famous Thermal landscape
There was an extremely small field this year, 10 or 12 riders I think. The lockdowns in Auckland obviously a big factor and others just not willing to travel. I was itching to race my bike and was very happy to be on the start line at 6 am on a beautiful morning in Rotorua.
We rolled out along the lake and made our way out of town and through suburbia before quickly hitting the quieter country roads. We were heading in an easterly direction toward the coast and the town of Whakatane. I mostly rode by myself except for a few friendly chats with a couple of other riders. I really enjoyed the coastal section all the way to Opotiki and by 2 pm I was leaving the ocean behind and heading for the hills. The Motu road was super nice, a climb that went on and on and not even one vehicle did I encounter. Perfect
In the green hills
I gratefully made the small camp shop at Matawai before it closed for a nice resupply at about 5.30 pm. I did not have a plan to ride through the night, but that’s what happened. It was a beautiful calm quiet night and I was feeling super good so I just continued to pedal to Wairoa, getting there before 5 am with 450kms in the legs. One of my biggest days on a bike
Sunrise in Wairoa
All up I probably spent over an hour here getting some food at a 24hr service station and then witnessing a spectacular sunrise. I was moving into the hills again by 6.30 am, some clouds were gathering as I continued to eat up the kilometres on some fantastic gravel roads, still feeling good, despite zero sleep.
It was mid-morning and there were intermittent showers, enough for me to put on my waterproof jacket. On a sealed road section descent close to a group of small lakes I wiped out on a bend. Suddenly I was sitting in the middle of the road checking myself first then looking to my bike to see twisted handlebars and aero bars. I was ok, a little bit in shock at how this had happened so quickly when I was not even going super fast.Its likely I hit a patch of oil or similar on the road and my front wheel slid out. I landed heavily on my hip, which was sore, holes in my Gore Tex jacket at my elbow and shoulder revealed other impact points as well as grazed kennel and hands. I took my time to fix up my bike and gather myself before continuing on at a slower pace than before.
My slower pace to reach Lake Waikaremoana meant I missed the small camp shop by an hour which was a bummer. I knocked and looked around but the place seemed deserted.I continued on the nice gravel roads winding along the lakeside with dense bush to the side as the rain got heavier and heavier. The rain and cooler temperatures meant I was feeling the effects of my earlier crash, my hip area was especially sore but it was best to keep moving
I reached Ruatahuna under dark skies and steady rain and I feared I’d missed another resupply as the doors were shut at the one shop in town. As I stood outside checking my phone and planning my next move a friendly lady came out from the shop and asked if I was ok. She said I could come in and get whatever I needed and said she was used to cyclists rocking up at different times of the day. I was super grateful for this as I was pretty much out of food. To eat some food and get warm I went across to the public laundry, this was fun as some locals were in and out and questioned what I was up to.
I went over Taupeupe saddle in an absolute thunderous downpour and continued on towards the Moerangi Trail, in Whirinaki Forest as darkness engulfed me in the dense bush. I knew I had to sleep that night as I was now fatigued after a big day. At the head of the trail, I ended up sleeping in a toilet block simply to save time setting up my tent on the wet ground. I was on the move again after 3 hours and into the murky night and dense forest. At first, the riding was good but then things got steeper and more rugged with more Hike A Bike required.
Whirinaki Forest
A pure highlight of this otherwise challenging night was seeing two kiwis as they scurried off looking to hide from my light beam. The rain set in again and lots of windfall made travel slow and ponderous. I just wished to be out and off this trail by this stage. I would love to return to this forest in daylight to see its full beauty.
As the skies lightened on Day two I finally emerged from the forest and was happy to be on my way on the damp gravel roads. From here I had about 120kms to the finish with a resupply town at Murapara before that.
Murupara town
Final wet slog to the finish
The rolling nature of the terrain in the 100 km to Rotorua and the sodden gravel roads meant it felt a lot slower than I would have anticipated. I reached the finish line just before 5.30 pm, satisfied to have completed the 801km course in 59.5 hours with about 3 hours sleep. I rode up the street towards my motel and grabbed a couple of coffees to celebrate.
Finish line
Thanks for having me MegaGrind, would love to come back again
