Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge

Saturday 25th November 2000

by Jason Kelly

The weather on the day started off dry, overcast and mild with little wind. Some showers were predicted which could make the road slippery and dangerous - especially for a three man bike whose combined weight of around 250kg does not stop in a hurry - even in dry conditions. After months of training, including many Te Mata Peak climbs, riding to Taupo and a ride up the Desert Road from Palmerston North by one of the team, rain was the last thing we needed.

In 1999, myself, my brother Patrick and John Barry attempted the 160km Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge on the triplet tandem with the aim of breaking the four hour mark. Ultimately we were unsuccessful due to gear failure, but, our fast pace for the first 80km helped over 40 riders to break the previously untouched sub four hour mark. After the disappointment and virtually perfect weather conditions of last year, we decided to have another go this year and set our sights on being the first across the finishing line - the time was not important.

On the strength of John Barry’s previous solo rides, we qualified for the elite start group and started in front of the rest of the tandems at 8am. After a struggle at the start to not run into other riders who had squeezed in around us and for all three of us to clip into our pedals, we were underway. We climbed the control gate hill at a moderate pace in the middle of the bunch.

Sitting in the bunch, we saw the lead vehicle in the distance with a few riders behind it. The bunch was large and spread-eagled over the entire road. We slowly edged our way up the bunch in the first few kilometres. On the first descent, we were boxed in and rode the brakes down. At about the 9km mark, we reached the second descent, the road widened and a gap opened in front of us. Applying the power, we surged past the bunch on the outside and we were away. We passed several riders out the front of the bunch, some were solo riders, some were enduros and some were just out for a ride.

Further down the road, John Barry looked behind and calculated the gap at about 30 seconds over the main bunch. Shortly afterwards, we hit a good descent and powered down at over 80km/h. By the time we looked around again, the bunch was out of sight. Realising that we were now away and had a long way to go, including some good hill climbs where we would lose many minutes, we settled into a good rhythm.

More riders joined us as we passed them, including some enduros, and then most fell away. Eventually it was just us and Sam Oliver from the South Island. He wheel sucked very efficiently and even showed his face once or twice on early hill climbs after commenting that we had, “put a bit of pace on down some hills.”

We passed the 40km mark after about 1hr 07m compared with about 57m last year. The climbing in the this first 40 kilometres was not really noticed and I believed we would have been at least holding the gap over the main bunch during this period given our pace.

On some of the descents, we had to slow our pace as we out accelerated the leading police car and the lead truck vehicle. After the first two or three descents, they generally learnt their lesson and powered down the hills out of our way.

At around the 80km mark, a motorbike told us we had about a 6m 30s gap over the main bunch. This sounded like about enough lead to just get us over Kuratau and Hatepe with the main bunch.

The wind was light and variable and our pace varied as the road wound its way to the Kuratau climb. Choosing a good low gear early, we started climbing the Kuratau hill at about 22km/h. We comfortably held this pace until about the last 500m when it levelled out and the wind pushed at our backs. We quickly raised the gears and the pace and went over the top of Kuratau at around 37km/h. Holding a good solid pace, we were informed that we had a gap of about 6m 00s over the main bunch. They were sure leaving their run late!

Many spectators we passed said, “It’s a three person bike!”, quickly followed by, “Hey, the guy on the backs not pedalling!” I guess that explains our variable pace! By about the 3rd time we heard these comments, the humour was long gone.

The local radio station, after asking if we were in the lead, tried interviewing John and Patrick as we rode along but soon gave up as the words got lost in the passing breeze.

At about the 120km mark, there was still no bunch in sight and we just had Hatepe to climb before the final few kilometres to the finish. Our pace varied quite widely as we rode towards Hatepe - ranging from about 28km/h up some of the gentle rises to 48km/h down some of the gentle slopes.

Finally, Hatepe was in sight and we knew we had a 2km climb to make. Again changing early into a good low gear, we started the climb. We spun up reasonably well and got over the top of the main climb at about 16km/h. Going up, John advised that Sam had agreed to let us win as we had done all the work. However, climbing Hatepe, Sam was fresh from his 135km free tow and powered away from us - probably pulling two minutes by the top. He had said he would wait at the top!

Reaching the top, the lead vehicle was virtually out of sight  with Sam close behind it. Quickly changing into bigger gears, we began to chase in earnest. The gap hardly narrowed to start with. Pushing on, we rode harder and slowly began to pull Sam in. Reaching the steepest part of the descent, we were still well down and rode in the 54:11 gear up to about 87km/h. Putting our heads down, the gap was soon narrowed. As we closed in, Sam turned around and saw us coming. He then put his head down and powered on. By now, he was in our sights and we put in a final burst to catch him. Once we caught him, he said again he was going to wait for us. It sure didn’t look like it!

From there, we rode on, climbed the airport hill with relative ease and powered down the other side into Taupo. The last small climb was ridden over and we rolled down the main street along the lake front. Entering the final few hundred metres, the lead truck locked up and slid around the right hand corner in front of us as we approached the judder bars. The triplet did not appreciate the judder bars and one crank bit into the first one. We slowed further and tried to ride around the second one. We had no such luck so we crawled over it and up the little climb to enter the finishing area. True to his word this time, Sam didn’t try and outsprint us and we rode across the line in first place. Our goal had been achieved.

Our time of 4 hours 05 minutes was no record but was not bad as part of a 150km individual time trial! The next riders appeared around 6 minutes later. Overall, we had largely held our lead from the bottom of Kuratau hill.

With our goal achieved and John heading off to Cambridge University for three years, what is next years challenge? Well, we could attempt an enduro, or let some other riders have a crack at breaking the four hour mark, or, if three elite cyclists were interested, we could just sit back and watch them attempt to set a time that would never be beaten. Three and a half hours sounds like a good round time. After all, it is just a fun ride!

 

Palmerston North to Wellington Classic

Well, some of it!

Sunday 19th November 2000

by Jason Kelly

The morning dawned overcast with little wind in Palmerston North. Weather forecasts promised gale force southerlies, cool temperatures and showers for the 130km journey to Lower Hutt via the Paekakaeriki Hill . They were not wrong. About 7.10am, it started to pour with rain and the wind began to increase.

At about 8.10am, a good sized field of riders, including a solid contingent of Ramblers members, departed from Palmerston North escorted by the police. It was a mere 10°C less a biting wind but at least it had stopped raining, even though the sky remained black and threatening.

As we progressed south, the wind began to pick up and we passed through some early showers. Sitting near the back of the bunch, I was largely protected from the wind. Even though the initial pace was fairly tame, it was still a shock to hear that one rider held a one minute lead after just 11 minutes of riding!

After about 30km, the course turned left into a solid headwind. At this point, the tail end of the bunch quickly fell apart. Although I was moving up the bunch, riders in front of me flagged the chase to re-join the main bunch and once I had ridden around them, I was stranded off the back of the main bunch. The pace of the main bunch was not too fast so I began to chase. Two other riders joined me and we made slow progress. After about 16km of chasing into wind, the gap had hardly narrowed. As I hit the front of the chasing three in our rotation at this point, the gap suddenly started to narrow. Picking up the pace, we got agonisingly close to the main bunch before one of the three took his rotation to the front and dropped the pace. At the same time, the main bunch accelerated and the gap widened. Before I realised what was happening, it was again too late - the bunch was gone.

Almost immediately afterwards, we encountered a small climb and I simply rode away from my two fellow chasers. With the bunch now long gone, I looked around and could only see riders being picked up in cars. As the wind blew ever stronger, I knew the 80km left to Lower Hutt was going to be a long ride.

Over the next few kilometres, I just cruised along. Out of no where, one rider joined me and then another. Again we had three of us to ride against the wind. Carrying on, every time the road veered slightly from the wind direction, it felt like a tailwind and we picked up the pace. After being escorted through one set of traffic lights at about the 84km mark, the police escort was not seen again.

Nearing Wellington, the sky cleared and the sun shone. The temperature crawled up to around 12°C less a cold wind chill. We struggled along through Paraparaumu into an extremely strong and gusty wind. The wind was so strong that our pace fell to as little as 13km/h. Taking turns at the front and seeking shelter was dangerous - wind gusts would hit the front rider and bring them to an almost virtual standstill while the riders behind had to try and hold a relatively straight line without hitting the other riders.

At the 101km mark, it was a relief to veer left up the 4km long Paekakaeriki Hill. We decided that we would meet at the top of the hill. Spinning up the hill, I climbed at about a 20 minute Te Mata Peak pace and the other two riders quickly fell behind and out of sight. Part way up the hill, I was engulfed in a thermal which gave me an all too brief strong tail wind push. Nearing the top of the hill, I looked back and could not see the other two riders anywhere in sight and so decided to carry on by myself.

Riding down the hill brought no relief from the wind. I found myself pedalling down the hill, on a similar gradient to that of Te Mata Peak, and my speedo read a mere 19km/h. It was still going to be a long way to go! Given the great pace, I though the other two riders must surely catch me.

Pushing on, I was making up the course from memory as there were no course markings and no marshals. After a couple more climbs and stopping at several sets of red traffic lights for a few minutes, no riders had caught me. I carried on until I saw the Lower Hutt sign and then took the first bridge as the race finished at the Kennedy Good Bridge. Lower Hutt obviously has no budget for bridge signs - none were named. However, this bridge was not the race finish! Following the river, I went to the next bridge. Nothing. I carried on into the headwind and the road started to go away from the river. After stopping, a passing motorist told me the Kennedy Good Bridge was the first bridge I would come to. Turning around, I finally had a tail wind and sat on over 40km/h with little effort. The first bridge back was not marked and was not the finish. The second bridge back was not marked but ultimately turned out to be the finish - across the bridge and into an unmarked and now virtually abandoned car park.

The result was that I completed the 130km race distance in about 4 hours 40 minute and then had a good tour of Lower Hutt for extra training to prepare for Taupo and, unlike other riders, I got the benefit of a good solid tail wind. Even after my extra tour, I was still not the last actual finisher. And who knows, there may still be some other riders out there now .............................................

The Sunday Training Ride

Taupo to Hastings

Sunday 2nd April 2000

by Jason Kelly

Another Sunday morning arrived and a nice gentle long ride was planned. As we were in Taupo, we had planned to bike home to Hastings. The brakes on the tandem had even been adjusted in anticipation of some good downhill speeds.

The weather was overcast and cool with a forecast of showers later on. Since it was fine, John Barry and I thought we might as well start off and see how far we could get before the weather closed in. So, at about 8.35am, we set off on the tandem (the two seat Cannondale Tandem), bound for home.

My legs didn’t feel too bad after the previous days ride (100k Rotorua to Taupo Flyer on the triplet tandem) and we started off at a gentle pace. The first half an hour or so saw an average speed of around 28/29km/h. This was about what I expected for the day and the hills were still to come! We rode up the gentle slopes at a reasonable pace and once out on the plains, rode into clear blue sky. The weather promised to get us the whole way home unabated!

Just past the Rangitaiki Tavern, we caught up to three cyclists on mountain bikes, complete with backpacks. We rolled over the top of a small rise and rode down the other side at 60km/h, leaving the mountain bikers just enough time to register that were passing them. As they were riding at about 15-20km/h, by the time we returned to cruise speed at the bottom, we could barely see them behind us.

The tandem enjoyed the rolling plains country and we quickly raised our average speed. We reached the first “real” hill at about 1 hour 40 minutes, which was about the same time it took us in the Taupo - Napier cycling classic. This hill was climbed all the way in the big chain ring (a 58) just to see if we could do it. We did and I knew then that we were riding at a good average pace.

From the top of the hill, it was downwards with some good descents. We managed around 85km/h maximum speed down the first big descent and then about 95km/h down the second big descent. Hill climbing was proving to be no problem - all hills can be climbed with the right gear, it is just the speed you want to do it at that hurts.

We reached the bottom of the Summit hill and spun into the small chain ring for the first time. On this climb we averaged around 15-16km/h without blowing the heart rate monitor. Once at the top of the summit, we were again greeted by clear blue sky and knew Hastings was still our target.

The tandem literally flew down the summit hill - we reached a top speed of just on 100km/h. Just as well no cars or trucks got in the way! The force on my face at 100km/h gave me visions of the effects of weightlessness. It is something that is not quickly forgotten.

Titiokura, all 3km of it, was reached and climbed fairly comfortably at around 13-14km/h. We were now into a good rhythm on the tandem and just cruised along. We again hit speeds in the 90km/h range on the descents.

We came upon two other cyclists riding home but, unfortunately for them, we caught them just over the crest of a hill. As we rode down, reaching a maximum speed of about 95km/h, they were just left standing still as their speedometers edged up to 80km/h (or so I hear!) The tandem sure does like the downhills and the 58:11 gear!

Approaching Eskdale, approximately 125km from where we started in Taupo, John asked what the time was. When I told him it was about 12.05pm (i.e. about 3 hours 30 minutes since we left Taupo), he almost fell off the bike. He knew we had been riding well but this was a bit over the top!

Despite my suggestion, we decided to miss Hill and Seafield Roads and instead rode through Bayview, Napier and on towards Hastings to St Georges Road to reach home. We rolled into my home gate at about 1.24pm.

Getting off the bike was quite easy and we still felt fairly comfortable. Reviewing the cycle computer, we (John Barry and myself) found that we had ridden the Kelly Rocket Tandem (two seat tandem) non-stop from Taupo to just south of Hastings, a total distance of approximately 172km, in 4 hours 49  minutes, at an average speed of just under 36 km/h, reaching a maximum speed of just on 100km/h (we didn’t want a speeding ticket!) down the Summit hill.

Now that’s what I call a Sunday training ride!

 

Rotorua to Taupo 100k Flyer

Saturday 1st April 2000

by Jason Kelly

The day dawned clear in Rotorua with fog south towards Taupo. By the start time of 10am, the fog had mostly lifted, leaving virtually perfect weather - fine, mild and little wind.

Approximately 1,000 riders, in four classes - elite, tandem, relay and social, lined up for the start. Eighteen tandems took part with at least four tandems from Hawkes Bay present.

After starting at the Rotorua racecourse, the race wended its way south through the Waikite Valley and up what the organisers euphemistically called a “steep” hill at the 41 kilometre mark. The hill, just 800 metres long, is extremely steep (an easy Burma Road equivalent!) and many riders abandoned pedalling their bikes in favour of walking to the top of the hill to meet the lone bagpiper. From the top of the hill, an exhilarating descent lead back to the main highway at Waitapou. After a brief section on the main highway, the course turned left to ride through mainly gentle rolling country in the Broadlands area before finishing inside the new multi-million dollar Taupo Events Centre.

The Kelly Triplet, captained by Jason Kelly and stoked by Patrick Kelly and John Barry, sat in the front bunch for the first 10 kilometres or so to get a feel for the strength of the field, especially the other tandems. At about the 10 kilometre mark, the Kelly Triplet launched an attack which left the majority of the field in their wake. Bryce Shapley, a member of the New Zealand National Road Squad and Stephen Ward, a member of the Ramblers Cycling Club, were the only two riders to survive the initial attack. Shortly afterwards, at speeds of up to 47km/h at the top of some short but solid hill climbs, the front bunch was reduced to purely Hastings riders - the Kelly Triplet and Stephen Ward.

From there, the pace was picked up by the leading bunches and the “steep” hill was reached after about an hour of total riding. The Kelly Triplet engaged its lowest gear and managed to climb reasonably comfortably along side Stephen Ward to the top of the hill at respectable speeds of 11 to 13 km/h, despite having an all up weight of around a quarter of a tonne (250kg) to push to the top. Once the top of the hill was reached, speeds quickly returned to 65km/h on the downhill slopes before hitting a top speed of just under 80km/h down a long hill on the main highway.

Once off the main highway and into the rolling Broadlands countryside, the front two bikes pushed on, averaging around 43km/h. It was reported that the chasing bunch, comprised of Bryce Shapley and promising top New Zealand riders, worked extremely hard together and pushed themselves to the limit but time checks revealed that they only managed to pull back 10 seconds on what was now a 3 minute gap to the front cyclists.

The race ended in a somewhat farcical manner as the lead car missed the final corner and took the two front bikes down the wrong road. The error was quickly noticed by the lead car but by the time the cyclists turned around, any chance of  a fair finish had vanished. Despite this, both the Kelly Triplet and Stephen Ward arrived at the entrance to the Taupo Events Centre almost simultaneously. The race organiser, realising the error was not of the cyclists making, offered both bikes 1st equal place and this was graciously accepted by all parties.

Overall, the Kelly Triplet and Stephen Ward recorded a time of 2 hours 26 minutes, at an average speed of just over 41 km/h. Just over three minutes later, the hard working chasing bunch arrived and finally saw the triplet again. A three minute gap was a gap of over 2 kilometres on the road. The next tandem arrived in a time of 2 hours 42 minutes. Riders continued to finish over the next four or so hours.

Prize giving was held at 5pm that evening in the Taupo Events Centre. Prizes were awarded for places in all grades except for social. A number of spot prizes were also awarded - some had to be earned by racing to the top of the rock wall inside the Centre. Janne Baker of Hastings won a spot prize in this manner.

The organisers are hoping for a field twice the size next year and this ride is a good opportunity to ride with other riders and on different roads. You also get in some short but serious hill climbing and a good opportunity to ride from Taupo to Hastings the following day!