Home to Masterton Thursday 18 January 2024

I'm doing the Tour Aotearoa ("TA") and I've started a blog! I'll to update from time to time depending on energy levels and phone coverage. This is a post of a practice ride from Wellington to Masterton on 18 January. The post is probably a bit longer than I'll do on the TA......

Well time to load up the bike and give some distance riding a go to see if what I've signed up for is actually manageable. Think it should be okay, but I don't actually know for sure.

It's about a month away from the start of my TA and while I'm not totally set up yet I've now got enough gear to give it a go.

So I'm riding from home to Masterton via all the bike trails. Should be a straight forward ride with easy riding conditions with only modest climbing on good trails and good weather. The main challenge will be the distance at ~125kms which is longer than I've previously ridden.

The first challenge is to load the bike up and see if the gear actually fits into the bags....  I don't have much stuff (I think), but I'll still don't seem to have much spare space once I'm loaded up and it does feel quite heavy!

Next challenge is to see if the bike will ride okay with all these bags attached.....

Right time to get going, its 7.45am and I'm guessing it will take 8 hours + stops based on Google maps. So I switch on the Garmin with my Kamoot generated course loaded and farewell Mary-Ann.

I'm on my way and the bike is feeling pretty good. Just around the corner I'm passed by one of our local friends who has somehow heard I'm doing the TA - he did it last year and loved it. We discussed bikes - he did it on a gravel, I'm doing it on my standard 29" full suspension mountain bike being what I have in the garage.

Riding through town the main thing I notice is the really unusual feeling of having no bag on my back. I normally ride with all my gear on my back. 

Not far from my usual ride to work I hit the first cycle lane near the railway station. I would be on cycle lanes and dedicated cycle paths pretty much all the way through to Greytown.

The Garmin is doing it's job and I'm soon directed onto the Hutt River trails which double as part of the Remutaka cycle trail. The riding is going well and the weather conditions are good. Thankfully no howling northerly today. Just 20 degrees and overcast.

I'm riding up the true left hand side of Te Awa Kairangi (Hutt River) and my eye is frequently drawn to multiple pools that look to be good trout holding spots. I make a mental note to return with my fly rod. The river is also unexpectedly picturesque. I'm so used to seeing the river from what I can see from the true right hand side traveling along SH2.

One thing I've yet to finish setting up is my cockpit, notably my handle bar set up. After 90 mins my hands are already going numb so I'm moving them around which seems to help.

I'm making reasonable progress and after about two hours I arrive at the Te Mārua dairy. I'm also not used to riding on reasonably flat and fast trails so making slightly better time than I thought I would. Te Mārua is both the first food outlet I've come across and the last I'll see before Featherston.

I'm greeted by a road cyclist who asks if I'm training for the TA.

I'm carrying 2.5 litres of fluid but still take the opportunity to down a chocolate milk and a soft drink which I self justify on the ground of the exercise and to wash down a chicken pie. I'm reminded of hobbits and second breakfasts.

A short road ride takes me past Maymorn station and to the start of the Tunnel Gully section of the trail. A short pinch climb takes me up to the first of five tunnels, then up past the Tunnel Gully MTB tracks, to the usual start of the Remutaka Rail Trail, from which its a nice 10kms up to the summit (437m).

After a short break and some photos, its through the 584m summit tunnel to the Wairarapa and then a quick 7km trip down the incline to the old Cross Creek station, and then out to the Western Lake Road.


The road up to Featherston has a dedicated cycle trail next to it. However, after a few hundred metres on this I decide the road looks more inviting (with no traffic) so I use this instead and take advantage of the extra speed offered.

I enjoy a flat white and some lunch at Everest in Featherston. Mary-Ann pops in on her way through.

After a good break, I'm riding on the new 5-towns trails to Greytown. Some initial back road riding, then onto a new bridge across the Tauwharenīkau River (Tauherenikau River) followed by cycle trails into Greytown. This trail is a great new addition and I'm looking forward to seeing it further developed through to Masterton and the other towns.

After the joys of riding on cycle trails through to Greytown, the next section to Carterton is along SH2. Not as much fun but manageable alongside the heavy traffic on the SH.

The temperature has climbed to close to 30 degrees (still overcast and relatively comfortable) so I take a break in Carterton for an ice cream and drink.

For the last section from Carterton to Masterton I had planned to take some backroads to avoid SH2. However, given the previous section was okay I decide to stick to SH2.

Big mistake. They've made SH2 safer for cars by installing a new wire median barrier meaning there's next to no verge to ride on. Definitely not fun riding next to the trucks and heavy traffic......

Not long after 4pm I roll into our AirBnB feeling okay aside from my hands which are pretty sore. It's taken me a shade over 8 hours including stops which is a little better than I was expecting.


Some things to sort out:
  • Definitely need to sort the cockpit out to save my hands
  • Will use butt butter from day 1..........
  • Still some other gear to get. Waiting for my faster rolling tyres to materialise (riding on my normal nobbly MTB tyres).....
Stats:
  • Distance 124km
  • Elevation gain 780m
  • Elapsed time 8 hours 25 minutes
  • Moving time 6 hours 45 minutes
  • Weather very good
  • Trails excellent
Strava summary:

    Garmin elevation and temperature profile:








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