Day 15

I am at home now. Absolutely shattered. My head cold has got a little worse and I am wanting for my bed. But I am still smiling when I think of the whole camp riding around the last corner at Bluff and reaching the end of the road at the bottom of New Zealand and Lordy cracking the champage, it was a perfect last day.

The day started on the cool side but as we cycled into the Catlins the sun came out and the tailwind got stronger. I have heard this is a beautiful part of New Zealand and I think we saw it at its best. Some good hills to ride but riding through native bush with some magic sea views was memorable. 180km done some of us decided to follow Molina and ride up Bluff Hill. I have head it was an incredibly steep climb. It was and I only just managed to keep going on the steepest section with my 39 25 gearing. The view at the top was brilliant out to Stewart Island.

We finished Epic Camp with a run around Bluff Hill. But in true Epic Camp style and the there is no easy way motto John decided to take the better track that went straight back up over the top of Bluff. A very cool run but bloody steep and hard at times. So two summits of Bluff hill and my Epic camp was complete.

I will summarise the camp in a day or two and mention all those people that helped us all cope and make it through this Epic journey. I am so pleased I took on the challenge and so pleased I made it the length of NZ. Now I need a rest!

Day 14

I woke up feeling a bit under par. The camp cold had been threatening for a day or two and my throat was a little sore. Once I got moving and took some drugs and more importantly had a bowl Latte I was feeling pretty good about life and the fact we only had two days for camp completion. The Mill House that we stayed in was very impressive. The original old stone building renovated into accommodation and restaurant. The day was cool but not threatening rain and promised a tail wind. The plan was 180km total from Waianakarua to Balclutha with a stop in Dunedin to do an aquathon. Reports were coming out of Dunedin, via a friend of Nicks, that the harbor water temp was only 14 degrees. This info along with the cool wind and the fact that a number of campers including Gordo were starting to get sick put paid to the open water aquathon idea. A very good call in hindsight.

The first 50 km of riding was great. Tailwind and a good draft. I was sitting behind Big E and experienced the much talk about draft from the 6ft 8inch Eric. His is a very good bike rider so I enjoyed following his wheel. A better view than he had as he was behind Russell who’s cycling shorts had seen better days, wearing a bit thin, not a good look.

We headed towards the KOM for the day the Hill before Port Charmers. It was a really tough climb with some very steep sections. I felt good and gave it a nudge. By half way the usual suspects were up the road. I hung on to Jo’s wheel for a while until Tara came passed as well as the machine David Craig and Petro. They rode away so I concentrated on keeping as good a pace as possible to avoid getting caught by Dave Langley who was in sight but still far enough away to hold off. The views at the top once again did not disappoint. On the way down Petro, Tara and DC stopped to take a photo with the sea views behind. I joined them so will get them sent to me so I can post up on line to show you what we saw. Then it was on through to Dunedin. We had our tour leader Nick who lived here and went to med school at Otago. A stop in town at the bike shop for Charlseys bike repair. His de railer cable broke so was climbing the hill in a 14. Despite being an unbelievable cyclist he had to run 2k up the hill so was keen to get it repaired.

Out of town we took the coast road but not before climbing another bloody steep and long hill. He headed towards Brighton on the coast road for lunch stop at the 115km mark. The ride along the coast was once again fantastic. Riding with sea views, beaches and headlands makes it’s so much more enjoyable. This was turning out to be one of the best rides for me on camp. A total contrast to the Coromandel but just as spectacular.

The pace as always was solid. It seems if its not Lordy its DC or one of the other strong riders willing to keep the pace strong at all times, that’s 35-40km an hour depending on the wind. Of course it’s always your choice to stay on or drop back to your own pace.

After another great lunch provided by the support crew who do everything for us. We headed towards Balclutha. We were warned about some hills but once again as previously today they where some of the hardest hills we have climbed all tour. The climb from the coast at the Taieri Mouth was very steep and went on for a long time with lots of drops down and just when you thought the next steep rise was the top it would descend again only to climb once more. We then had a fast decent down to join the main highway. Then towards Milton. Rob Hill and I had been talking about a coffee stop and Milton gave us the opportunity. With a strong tail wind and around 20k to go we stopped at the only cafe open. It was perfect. Couches and really nice coffee. So good we had two rounds before we could extract ourselves and re mount the bikes. A hilly but nice ride due to the tailwind into Balcutha.

A lot of the group are feeling pretty tired. I had a really enjoyable day and feel tired but upbeat and really happy about getting through with now only 1 day to go to reach Bluff. Time for dinner so until day 15 of Epic Camp

Day 13

Today we had one of the Epic Camp traditions to complete. The 400IM (individual medley) competition. In the past this has been very amusing for those watching the lesser accomplished swimmers battling their way through one of the toughest events in swimming. We had the whole Geraldine outdoor 25m pool to ourselves for 2 hours. So some of the guys took the opportunity to swim a 6km session, others the standard 3km and some who already have the total swim distance for camp completion finished did just the 400IM.

My knee was a little stiff when I woke but seemed all ok once I got moving. The camera man questioned why I was in my swim gear at the pool as I was told not to swim for a day or so. I explained that the 400IM was required for the camp completion and I wasn’t going to miss that after biking 2000km , swimming 27km and running over 100km with only 2 days to go.

The IM was won by Steve Lord just held off Scott by 2 seconds in a time of 5min 55. John was third then Nick & Petro just on the 6min mark. I had a good first 25 fly then it was all hard work. I hear Molina made some funny comments from pool side about my rapid decline in swimming ability, which was pretty accurate. I managed to survive coming in around the 7:30 mark. It’s a bloody tough event to do but was pleased to have notched up an Epic Camp 400IM

Once all that was done it was back for breakfast and off on the bike. 150km from Geraldine to Waianakarua which is just south of Oamaru. It was an uneventful ride down state highway 1 but finished with some of the best road we have traveled so far. The coastal road from just outside Oamaru through to Waianakarua was spectacular. It may have been the contrast from the boring main road with heavy traffic to the quiet road following the coastline that made it that much more enjoyable, but everyone loved it. I was with a group of 8 riders. At one point we come to a road closed sign but decided we would follow the planed route. It become obvious why that section of Beach road was closed as the sea had eroded the cliffs so much that it had eaten sections of the tarmac away. Dave Craig took some photos as it was an amazing site. Luckily the road meet up with the open road again and with a bit of cyclocross and climbing over dirt piles we were back on track. I never knew this road existed so it was a very cool way to finish the ride and always good to see new parts of my own country.

I think everyone is happy that we are now close to completing the journey. A few people are getting sniffles and the odd cough so the heavy training load is starting to take its toll. I am feeling good generally considering what we have done. Felt tired when we stopped riding and had a small sleep before my massage. The massages have been fantastic and I am sure have made a huge impact on my ability to recover and keep going.

Tomorrow we head to Balcluther. 180km ride but plan to stop at Dunedin for an Aquathon. 2km Harbor swim and 7km run depending on conditions. So another Epic day in store for us tomorrow.

Day 12

After a good nights sleep I was on the footpath with my bags at 6:30am waiting for the van to pick me up to head to Sumner. It was a nice morning for the planed run up Capt Thomas track, out to Godley Head and return along the Boulder bay coastal track. This is one of the best runs in Christchurch and with the sun out it was spectacular. 18km done it was straight to coffee culture for my coffee fix.

We departed at 10:45 for Geraldine with the knowledge of a southerly front heading towards us. It hit us a couple of hours into the ride and made it tough riding conditions. Unfortunately in the blustery conditions the bunch was surging a little. One of these surges caused some breaking and I was not quick enough to avoid running up the back of Nicks bike. Nearly managed to hold it up but failed and ended up on the deck. The hard chip on the road edge took a few gauges out of my knee but otherwise I was ok. The rest of the ride was cold and wet up to the lunch stop. After lunch Clas decided to warm things up and got a train going. We covered the last 50k in good time and got to Geraldine sometime around 4pm.

Super Dave organised a trip to the doc for me to get checked out. The amusing part of this was Scott the camera man came to film the whole process (not a lot of other exciting events happened today) . Pleased to say it wasn't bad, just a clean up and a bandage. I am not supposed to swim for a day, but we have pool games tomorrow. The classic Epic camp 400IM and I do not want to miss out now I have come so far.

I am feeling good after today. Defiantly got over the fatigue I had in Kaikoura. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Day 11- Epic heads to Hometown Christchurch

I woke this morning with a solid headache and some apprehension on how the day would shape up. After yesterdays tough ride into the wind I was respectful of the days planed 180km ride to Christchurch. Before the ride we had a 2k jog down to the local outdoor pool for our standard 3k swim session. The air was chilly and it was easy to see why. The mountain range surrounding Kaikoura had a topping of snow. The call had been made to wear wetsuits for the swim as it was thought the pool temp would be pretty cold. The pool was located next to the sea and allowed for a spectacular view of the snow capped mountains. There was a number of photos taken. Some of the boys trying to look like swim suit models, but couldn't really pull it off. Check out the photos on the epic camp web page. As it turned out the temp was OK and the wetsuit made for a very pleasant swim. We jogged back for breakfast and the usual routine of packing bags, bike gear on, bottles filled and ready to roll. The days ride had a KOM in the first 20km and then a straight ride to Christchurch. You will have to read the other blogs to find out what happened at the front end of the KOM. As we left the coast line and headed inland the climb started. I didn't stay with the front bunch for long and tried just riding solid on the climb as I was still fatigued from yesterday and knew I could not go a lot faster. I ended the climb just behind Russell and Dave L then rolled to the drink stop. From there once we all got on the train lead by Daniel it was a fast trip to our first stop at Cheviot. Dan & Kaye had to leave the camp today to run their Newton expo at the Wanaka Ironman. So sad to see him and Kaye go. They were both fantastic on the camp, adding value in many respects and always fun to be around. Thanks for your hard work Kaye and your company and back wheel Dan.

The rest of the ride in was great and we arrived in ahead of schedule. I am having a night at home in my own bed which will be nice. We run Godley head in the morning from Scott's place in Sumner so will be familiar territory and enjoyable run if the legs are not to tired.

On reflection its been an amazing 11 days. We have gone so far, done some much and been through some beautiful country since we left Kaitia. We have 4 big days of riding left to complete the journey. Not to mention the odd run and swim. Also there is some real competion still alive for the red jersey with Dave & Petro going hard. Petro currently holds it but with Dave's ability to just run as far as he needs with no obvious negative effect its not an easy job. Dave went out for a 25km run after the ride today and I think Mark P was going to match him. It will be an interesting battle to watch over the next few days.

The body feels better tonight, still tired but much better, what a difference a day can make. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Day 10 – Kaikoura

Today started with a walk down to the pool for a 6am start to our swim session. I decided it would good morning to knock off the 3k medley set. This consisted of 100m medley then 150mm free x 12 to give 3k total. All for just 1 bonus point. That done it was back to breakfast and then ready for the relatively short 130k ride to Kaikoura. We rolled out easy through town. A kom was only 15km from the start. The first attack was started by Nic showing power not seen to date (1003 watts). I chased and got on. Steve lord burst past with Clas and Petro on his wheel. I ended up in the break. We got to the bottom of the climb and I dropped off as the pace had been to hot. Petro lasted a little longer than me but was left on the lower slope but hung on for 6th. My pace was slow and the main bunch passed me. This was the start of a tough day for me. Apparently at the top clas took the KOM with Steve second. I was passed by Dan just before the summit. Needless to say my competion with Tara on the KOMs was dealt a blow as she finished a number of places ahead of me. I rolled on down to the drink stop. I was feeling empty with not extra energy in the legs. Lucky for me Nick and Russell waited and I sat on for the ride to the next aid station. The main group was still there when we arrived. They had been there for a while so headed off not long after we arrived. I ended up missing the train and had a long 70k ride into the strong southerly wind on my own. At under 20k and hour it took a long time to get to Kiakoura but the spectacular coast line, sea and seals made it a little easier. The cravings for a steak and cheese pie become strong towards the end of the 5 :30 hr ride. After days of carbs something savory is very attractive. I had to stop at the café over the road for said pie and ice chocolate.

Some recovery drink and an hours rest then it was off for the 10km run to the seal colony. I joined Russell and had a nice run feeling surprisingly ok. After more rest then dinner. Everyone had a tougher day than expected due to the wind.

Tomorrow we head to Christchurch and home for me. I am hoping I feel better and can enjoy the ride home.

Day 9 - Epic Goes South Island

Today was officially a shut down rest day with no points on offer. So the minimum for the day was to make the Ferry Crossing across cook straight and bike from Picton to Blenheim. This was a very much needed rest day for me as I was still feeling a bit shattered today. I think most of the others also appreciated it as well. Even though it was supposed to be an easy spin to Blenheim I found myself once again aboard the Dan McDonald express. We had rolled off the hill out of Picton to find Dan up the road in his familiar position low on his bars outputting mega watts. Lee in true green jersey fashion pushed hard to close the gap with encouragement from Clas sitting on his wheel along with a few of us following. 45km an hour plus meant that the group reduced to just Dan, Clas, myself and Scott with the others showing common sense and letting the express train go, or maybe they just blew! It made the short trip even shorter and 49 min latter we where in Blenheim pulling into our motel accommodation for the night.

I had a special treat waiting for me. My two girls Alex and Charlotte come over from their holiday in the sounds to see me. It was so nice to see them and give them a big hug. Also to catch up on some real life. After 8 days of total immersion in Epic camp lifestyle it was good to get a dose of reality and remember the life we left 9 days ago.

The South Island, mainland of New Zealand is now laid out before us starting with Kaikoura tomorrow. Hoping the rest day will have the energy levels up and the body willing.