Day 20 of TA - Trimming the sails?

Thursday 23rd October
Distance: 70 km
Elevation gain: 632 metres
From Makoura Lodge to Palmerston North
About 5hrs elapsed from 7am to 12pm

I was awake before the alarm and peered out the window but everything was still.  Where was all this wind that had been forecast?  Time for a snooze, and maybe a relaxed start for the day.  There was plunger coffee available in the room and it has been some time since I'd enjoyed a lazy breakfast coffee without having to race off.  As I was slowly getting out of bed, the wind started to blow.  It announced itself by shaking the unit with a huge gust.

This was the wake up call I needed.  I had a quick shower and gulped down my porridge.  Although after packing and repacking the porridge sachet for the past 20 days, the oats had been ground to flour so it wasn't very appetising.  Just fuel to get me to Palmerston North. And no time for coffee!  After every passing minute the wind seemed to be pickup up speed.  I finally got out the door at 7am just as the rain started.  Very light and annoying without getting me too wet.  

The first leg today was 50km from high in the mountains down to the town of Ashhurst, beside the Manawatu river.  Even though Ashhurst is 300m lower in elevation, there were countless climbs and when on the top of these climbs the wind gusts were easily able to push me around on the bike.  Lots of leaning into the wind.  The last 5km into Ashhurst were slightly downhill and I had a massive tailwind.  I was able to sit up on the bike to create a kind of sail to get blown down the road.  Very relaxing.  I even started twisting my torso and stretching my jacket to 'trim the sails' so to speak.

I made it to Ashhurst for morning tea / second breakfast and enjoyed a feed at one of the coffee shops.  The first real food today.  I took my time because the final 20km was flat, on bike paths along the river into Palmerston North and would be somewhat relaxing compared to the morning's first leg cycling down from the mountains.  

How wrong I was!  Getting back onto the bike I was nearly blown over. Not relaxing!! While enjoying breakfast the wind had picked up significantly and was now around that forecast of 40km/h with gusts much more.  I made my way to the cycle path and onto Palmerston North.

This was the toughest and most gruelling 'flat' 20km I've ever done.  The wind was  brutal.  There were very few sections with a tail wind and at one stage I had to cycle 400m directly into the wind - it almost made me start walking.  The gusts continued to increase and at one point a crosswind gust blew me off the path and I had to quickly unclip from the pedals to stop from falling over.  Hard to imagine but true!!  I pushed on at a snail's pace into the headwinds and made it to Palmerston North for lunch.  

I wasn't really hungry after the big feed in Ashhurst, but knew I needed to refuel and replace what I'd spent on today's ride.  It was a case of just forcing myself to eat.  I felt quite ill afterwards.  Too many hot chips.  After lunch I went to the library to get out of the weather and kill an hour until I could check-in to my room.  Eventually it was time, and I cycled into the suburbs to meet my Airbnb host (Keith) and checked into my cosy room for the night.  It felt so good to be settled when the rain started.  Terrible weather - rain and 50km/h winds.   Hopefully this foul weather blows itself out by morning and I can get going again under clear skies. 

Today's theme song is by the Skyhooks - Horror Movie
Horror movies right there on your TV, it's the 6.30 news.
Not quite horror, more terror. The weather (wind and rain) have impacted most of NZ, in particular the South Island and the Wellington area of the North Island.  In those danger areas, people were advised to stay home today and only go out if absolutely necessary.  Highways are closed and a lot of places have lost power. The weather is crazy and angry.  I hope it sorts itself out so November is more settled.   Today's lesson (for those of us cycling the South Island) is not to go cycling with these sort of headwinds.  Pushing into a 40 or 50km/hr headwind gets you nowhere fast.  

Rolling hills, green pastures, mountains, grey skies, wind and rain...Springtime in NZ…


Finally a road closed sign that I didn't ride past.  I could see the roadworks and construction of the new bridge.  Time for a detour which only added a few extra k's to today's trip.


Photo control point 12 - Totara Reserve,  full of tōtara trees.  Notice my safety 'riding' glasses. 


Cycle path into Palmerston North - would have been great without the headwinds


Sing it...We're not going to take it!   Twisted Sister's anthem was ringing out in downtown Palmerston North city centre as part of the nation wide 'mega-strike' today for public service workers on Thursday.  I tried to snap a photo without being too obvious.