Don't judge a book by it's cover.

                                          DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY its COVER.

 

Rugby players, baseball players, and boxers to name a few sportsmen we think of as fit. None of them are small, in fact they’d probably be called overweight, rugby forwards would be obese, but no, they are all sportsmen. Why oh why do people judge me based on my size. I may be overweight, but I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m even fitter than when I was cycle racing and lean and mean.

 

Ritchie Mc Caw – The all black rugby captain, who is idolized as almost god – like, is not trim, to look at him -  he doesn’t even look athletic, let alone a famous sportsman. Mohammed Ali – arguably the most famous boxer of our time, was definitely padded. Many people around the world achieve amazing feats, and they are not lean and mean fighting machines.

 

Last week Niel and I cycled on a 125 km circuit over many hills of various sizes. Back in my racing days it was considered my hardest training ride. I used it as a ride to determine my fitness for an upcoming event. I often ‘hit the wall’, and couldn’t move until I’d rested and got some food and drink down me. If I made it without ‘hitting the wall’, then I deemed myself fit enough for whatever I was training for. Last week, I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t get tired, and I had plenty of energy left when I got home. It wasn’t until this week that I looked back and realized how easy I had found it.

Half way around the 125km circuit.

 

So what if I’m padded – it’s called ‘middle age’ people!! It doesn’t mean I’m any less fit. Do you think that Niel would want to go cycle touring with me if I wasn’t up to standard?

 

So If I hear one more comment like: ‘does Niel take all the gear?’, or ‘do you separate and go different ways?’, or ‘do you ride together?’, then I think I’ll scream. Give credit where it’s due. I am not fat, padded but not fat, and I am not holding Niel back at all. I have done more than most cycle tourists could dream of, and I’m not stopping yet.

Outrunning a Bear?

There are some things in life that aren’t necessarily pleasant (unless you happen to be good at it), but everyone needs to be able to do, at least at a basic level.  And I am talking about being able to run.

After several years of having difficulty walking, I can finally run. I’m not fast and I can’t go very far, but I CAN run. Back at Christmas time I started walking with my stick, and tried to jog little bits till my knee told me to stop. Now I can run 3kms without stopping, and it doesn’t hurt. That is beyond fantastic. I’m ecstatic.  That may be a pathetic distance to some, but it is awesome to me, as I still have a cartilage tear in one knee and my feet are only half fixed.

Why do I feel this need to run?

No normal human being can outrun a Bear except maybe downhill.

 

 I want to know that I can run from a Bear chasing me. You can’t outrun a Bear, and Niel (beloved husband of mine), says he only has to run faster than me!! However on our trip around the United States, it taught us two things about Bears. They do attack and kill people, if they are hungry enough. And they are hopeless at running downhill. So there you have it. I want to be able to outrun a Bear downhill.

Meanwhile, my cycling is excellent. It’s getting close to winter now, and although the weather is fantastic, it is too cold for shorts now, and the tights have emerged from the bottom of my set of drawers. The lights now festoon my bike, and my new reflective jacket is being well used. Only 2 months to go until our trip across Canada and the US.

 

Why Train?

Well the Trans - Canada / US is definitely going to happen now. The tickets are booked, and paid for. The time off is Okay ed by our respective employers. The training is perfected, with weekly rides of up to 150kms. And a weekly average of between 200 and 300km. (Fitting in work and time for domestic chores). We still have a few things to buy – no thanks to the Vietnam thief. Now that the winter daylight hours are approaching, I have replaced my reflective jacket, but need to replace a few more things yet.

Our very cute kitten - Henry

 

I must admit I have been distracted in the last month or so, by our new kitten. He is so very entertaining. He has learnt a lot in that time. First of all don’t jump on the chicken or you will be viciously pecked. Don’t jump on the cat or you will be jumped on back. Secondly the bikkie bowl never runs out of bikkies, so you don’t have to eat everyone in sight. Thirdly golf balls are the most fun thing in the world. Followed closely by the scratchy post, that has all sorts of toys hanging from it. And lastly the cat door is all for you, although sometimes it is locked on you, which is very annoying. Oh boy did that kitten land on its feet, when it decided to live under our house, after being abandoned.

Henry won't even leave Bob alone to have a drink from the watering can.
 

 

Why am I training so much? Don’t you get fit on the trip? Well, yes, you do get fit as you go. Most people who haven’t cycle toured before don’t realise how hard it is, if you are fit to start with, it is one less problem to contend with. Anything can, and usually does get thrown at you with touring. The weather can turn nasty with cold or wet or gale force headwinds, or searingly hot, or humid, or usually a combination of these. It can be nonstop hills that never let up and make you behind time. You could make it to your destination and there is no food anywhere. You could crash and be hurt, or your bike damaged.  The road could end up as gravel. It is sapping to ride 20kms or more of unexpected gravel on a fully loaded touring bike. You could get lost and end up in god knows where. You could get attacked by an animal - dogs or (god forbid) - bears. It is quite common to get heat stroke, saddle sores or bad chaffing. Or sick with the flu or food poisoning, or even hypothermia. All of these things have happened to me.

 

My longest training ride of 153kms from Blenheim to home

 

In France, we got hypothermia crossing a mountain pass and took shelter in and alpine hotel where we passed out.

In Spain, we got diverted onto a gravel road detour that took us over a 600m hill in a storm. And I crashed twice in two days and had to ride with what I thought was a broken arm.

I’ve had heat stroke a lot as we usually come from our winter to a northern hemisphere summer and our bodies aren’t used to the heat.

We have gone hungry in many countries.

We’ve been chased by dogs.

We’ve had food poisoning, and been ill.

I have had chaffing and saddle sores to contend with along with my chronically sore feet which has caused my problem knees.

Probably my worst time of all was crossing the Nevada desert just north of Death Valley, in a gale force head wind in temperatures hovering at 40 degrees Celsius. The road climbed over 4 high passes not mentioned on the map and always into a wind so strong we could only manage 10kms / hr into it. We had no food and had to ration our drink. It was a distance of 143kms to the next town and we HAD to make it. After 12 hours in the saddle, I struggled into town severely dehydrated, my body had gone into shock and I couldn’t stop shaking. The heat had burnt the lining of my lungs which gave me chronic Asthma, I had no Asthma huffer, we were at 10,000 feet in altitude and I had altitude sickness, so I could barely breathe, and I had to keep going like that for another week until we descended to the Californian coast. How did I do it? Sheer will power and the power of my leg muscles alone. That my friends, is why you train and get fit before you leave home. If you are not fit before you go, it can be a disaster.

Training ride with a cup of tea out to the Riwaka resurgence.

 

Training also helps you to get used to being all day on your saddle. If your saddle is uncomfortable this is important to find out before you leave home. It is a time to work out what gearing to use, what tires are right for the country you are heading to, and what gear you may need to purchase. You need gear to cover every possibility, but you don’t want to be over loaded, everything you take, you need to carry.

 

So if you are thinking of going cycle touring – train.

Takaka Hill.

I know I've been quiet lately, it's not because I've had nothing to say, It's more a case of will anyone be interested in what I have to say.

Plans for cycling across Canada are firming up. Yes I'm cycling across now, instead of Vespa riding every 2nd day. We originally thought of having the assistance of a Vespa to make the trip across faster. But it also creates more problems. To sell it, we would've needed to circle back to Montreal to find someone, or perhaps a scooter shop, to buy it off us. But now with Niel carrying on to Europe afterwards, it was a waste of time. The 2 weeks it would've taken to circle back to Montreal, is the extra time it would take for me to cycle across. It also saves us a lot of money.

It's going to take 9 weeks, including days off and flying time there and back. And it's just under 7,000 kms. I have started training. Actually I never stop cycling, but I'm doing more hills than before.

Quarter of the way up.2 more hours of climbing to go.

I've just ridden over Takaka hill twice in 2 days. Takaka hill is an enormous. It is fifteen kilometres from the bottom to the top, and is very steep in places. It is like climbing a French Alp. It was Niel's birthday. Most people go out for dinner for their birthday, Niel is no exception, but he wanted to cycle 92 kms over Takaka hill, to go to a restaurant, then cycle 92 kms back over the hill again to get home. I am always a wee bit apprehensive when his birthday comes around. What 'adventure' will be dream up from year to year. I don't know why I still get surprised by what he comes up with, but I do.

A bit of flat road and still feeling pretty good.

Last week our lawn mower's engine 'blew up'. It's had a hard life and it finally spit the dummy. So after working out the best deal, I said we may need to get it delivered, as we don't have a car. "No we don't, it's no heavier than a fully loaded touring kit" said Niel. So here he was with this enormous box on the top of his trailer - cycling home from the hardware shop.

I got a bit irate last week, I was cycling along the road, when a car pulls alongside me and the driver says: "You should be on the cycle track, (as) it costs thousands to build", and sped off without me having a chance to reply. Do I tell him he should be on the motorway as it costs thousands to build. No, it's not where he wants to be. Need I say more. Yes I do. I wrote a letter to the editor of the paper. What gives a car driver the right to tell a cyclist where they should be riding. The paper didn't publish it. There is a lot of double standards here!

It's been a very strange summer, we've had everything from heat waves, to cold snaps, flooding and severe gales. The wind was not welcome and we lost a lot of big tree limbs and a great deal of twigs. A lot of Berry orchards lost their whole crop, and some trees blew over in the apple orchards. The vineyards seemed to cope okay, but then we got the flooding. We enjoyed the flooding as our Well went from bone dry to full again. Needless to say I've been raking and sweeping for weeks.

It's been a year now since my beloved Bob the cat had his terrible accident, that cost him his leg. He is still my shadow and goes everywhere with me. I will hate to leave him in the cattery again when we go to Canada, but that is 5 months away yet.

Bob and I are tired out.

Year of Adventure.

"Have a good summer and a year of adventure", so the non Christmas - Christmas card from my sister said. She really understands me.

Well the "good summer" isn't hard to achieve as it's a heat wave at the moment, and despite the council imposed water restriction, I spend hours watering every day to keep the garden from dying. The Well is on the edge of running dry, but still has water in it - just. Luckily the water storage tanks are full.

It's just past the longest day and I've actually noticed it. I have taken up walking for an hour after dinner in the evening. I love watching the clouds turn pink and the evening coming on. It is so tranquil and quiet. It is getting darker fractionally earlier, but I still have light till 9.30 pm.

An exact replica of my old bike.
 

As for "a year of adventure". Well that looks very likely. Now that I have my touring bike rebuilt and replaced, I am keen to break the spell of bad luck that has plagued us this year, with a tour across Canada. The route is planned and I am busy saving again. Surely we can't have another year of a bike being lost by the airlines for a week, and even worse having one stolen. We have learnt from this misadventure, to be more vigilant with locking them. And racing a bike around the world is not the best way to stay stress free, if you want to travel this way, it  is best to be a bit flexible, so that airline delays arn't so devastating.



Actually we are seriously considering attempting Niel cycling around the world again. Why? I feel like it is his destiny to do this, and he'll regret it forever if he doesn't, especially when other less capable cycle tourists achieve it. I also feel like it is my destiny to make it happen. I'm a great trip planner, and as his wife, I want him to have the life he dreamt of for himself. His Father always wanted  a life of yachting adventures and it never happened, There is no reason why we can't make this world trip a reality. This time though, he doesn't want to do it alone. It would not be a race, with all the associated rules and regulations. However he does want to do a respectable time and not be away forever. The big factor is finding someone that wants to do it too.

Well Christmas is over for another year. Whether you celebrate it or not, it is still the season of hope and goodwill to others. I have many hopes for humanity. There are such a lot of humans in the world, collectively we could do a lot of good for the world, but we don't. I certainly had reason to hope when I was a fundraising collector for an anti animal cruelty campaign last week. Dressed in a fluffy pink pig hat, I walked the streets with a bucket. Yes I know I looked stupid, but it was a choice between the hat or the full costume. I got kids yelling " oink, oink at me without full costume. So many people gave money saying they loved their animals. Perhaps they just felt sorry for me looking like an idiot. After 2 hours my bucket had $100  in it.

Today it has turned cooler, a great day for a bike ride, as Bilbo Baggins says in "the Hobbit" movie: I'm off on an adventure".

So happy summer everyone, and have a year of adventure.

I've still got the bug.

My knee is causing me problems again, will this ever come right? So I had another appointment to see the Specialist in Christchurch. But it is Spring now, in fact it is almost summer, so I decided to cycle to Christchurch. Niel decided to come with me, and to make the whole trip a bit faster, we made it a Vespa / Bike trip. We had to do 200 kms a day and shared the Vespa and bike riding. It worked out really well and we managed to do 900kms in 4 days. So 4 days of riding in the sunshine made us keen for more.

My turn to cycle along the Kaikora Coast.
 

Beautiful scenery.

Unbelievably I have yet another acute Cartilage Tear in my knee. That is 3 tears in one knee!! The surgeon reckons it is from my bike crash in Vietnam. So I have to have another MRI scan and we will see what can be done following that. Luckily I can still ride, and ride well.

My new bike is taking shape thanks to Niel.

We have had some great rides since coming home, always over 100 kms and on sealed roads, as my road bike isn't built for rough gravel. But my new bike to replace the one stolen in Saigon is almost ready. Only the handle bars with brake and gear levers on, and a saddle to go, yeah I can't wait. I still miss my old stuff, and despair at what it is going through, but I am moving on mentally at last.

Rows and rows of Boysenberries, we will be eating them in a month, everything is so lush.

Yesterday as I was cycling home from the garden centre with a 40 kilo bag of compost on my bike trailer, I passed a family cycle touring. The first one I passed was a boy of about 12 years old pulling a trailer and he also had rear pannier bags. Then I passed the Mother also pulling a trailer  and with front and rear panniers. Then a child of about 7 or 8 years old with a large dry sack on his carrier. Ahead  of him was his father and the youngest child on a tandem with front and rear panniers. I admired them enormously especially the children carrying their own gear. I heard them making comments as I passed pulling my own trailer. I got home and told Niel about them, and then it dawned on me that I was jealous.

I still have the touring bug. Now that I have got over the calamities of Vietnam, I am ready for more again. This time it had to be somewhere civilised where I don't have to worry about being distressed every day by what I was seeing, and less likely to be the victim of theft. So Canada - here we come. Although this time we will do it Vespa assist. One day cycling and the next on the Vespa. Canada is the second biggest country in the world behind Russia, so we needed to have a way of getting across a bit faster. So now I am busy planning the logistics and how much time it will take us.I may not be able to walk, but I can still cycle, and there is no stopping me.

Replace and rebuild started.

I have searched accounts and visa statements to try and find record of my owning the stuff I am claiming for as being stolen. I pay for a lot of things by cash, so I don’t have receipts for those things. But I have managed to find a surprising amount of receipts even the one for my expensive camera. The bike was tricky, but the shop I bought it from, had record of me buying it and gave me a replacement quote including all the things I added for the trip like carriers and pannier bags.  So the rebuild has begun.

 

I have a frame and forks and wheels. And bit by bit I am ordering components as I can afford them. So far I have a Chain wheel and Crank set l, front and rear Derailleur’s. And I have ordered some replacement cycling sandals – ideal in hot climates and when my feet get sore and need a break without having to stop cycling for a complete break.  Next order will be pedals and chain and cables. Then a saddle with saddle bag complete with puncture outfit and high pressure pump. Then last of all is my handle bars with all that they entail. Niel even found a handle bar bag mount, so my bag is no longer useless. And before next winter I’ll need to replace my lighting set and reflective winter jacket.

My frame, forks and wheels. The start of my new ZUM bicycle.

 

Actually this last week has been very frustrating, as I have had the flu, and been out of action. I tried to go for a ride when I started to feel better – big mistake -I went back to square one and was as sick as a dog.  A week and a half later, I am a bit better and feel I could try to do another ride, but the weather has been crap. Snow and heavy rain, winter is reluctant to give up to summer too soon. I know it will get better eventually, just like my health; meanwhile my hard fought fitness is disappearing.  There is supposed to be a break in the weather in a couple of days, so Niel and I will be out trying to do a ride in excess of 100kms. And if all goes well, then another ride the next day before the weather is forecast to crap out again.

 

I applied to be a volunteer for the Nelson SPCA. It is a small thing I can do for animals, I am still distressed by what I saw in Vietnam, and am thinking about returning to try and help the strays in some way, I’d love to open an animal shelter, but I’m not made of money, and it really is in the too hard basket. Perhaps I can feed the strays, or something. I know that I can’t just forget about it.

 

In the meantime I have to work and save money to replace everything. If I get anything from the insurance then that would be great, but I don’t have a lot of faith in insurance companies paying up.