DAY 19 – Albert Town to Mossburn

DAY 19 – Albert Town to Mossburn – 214km / 13:45 total / 9:58 Riding time /21.4 kph average

The temperate gauge was reading 2c when I set out just after 6am. I had put on all my cycling clothes and also was wearing my beanie under my helmet. The Outlet Track leading into Wanaka was more challenging in the dark but I found it ok to follow contrary to what the cue sheets suggested.

Today’s race involved catching the TSS Earnslaw’s 2PM sailing from Queenstown, hence why I left early. I had calculated that I must leave Wanaka at 8AM to give myself 6 hours to get over the crown range and through the Queenstown trails to achieve this.

Since I had discovered that the magic formula for me was eggs and bacon I tapped nervously as I waited for my meal in a Wanaka café which was already heaving at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. After a restock of almond OSM’s I headed off and up to take on the crown range.

It was still bitterly cold, temperatures staying around 4c. I made good time as the traffic increased, stopping only to photograph the Cardrona breast cancer fence which is full of bra’s and then then to warm up in the hotel by the fire.

The traffic was crazy on the crown range road and it was a very busy section of road. Everyone had gotten out of bed and was going between Wanaka and Queenstown now on this mid Saturday morning. 

I tried to stick left as much as possible and not wobble into traffics way as the scenic road became steeper and steeper and I became slower and slower. 

After climbing to around 1100m above sea level I reached the top just only an hour after leaving Cardrona and had what should be a comfortable 3 hours to do the long descent into Queenstown. At this altitude this was the highest elevation we would get on the tour and this was the biggest climb we would do, but the 1100m was gained over 38k so really it was a gradual climb and you could keep a good moving speed.

After exchanging stories with a super heavily laden French cyclist who had ridden up from the other side I descended down the winding ribbon of a road towards Queenstown, checking the speed to ensure I didn’t overcook some of the corners. 6K into the descent the route turns off and takes us off-road down to Arrowtown (I bypassed) and then onto the terrific Queenstown trails. 

Since I had been here before I more or less know which way they were taking us so I got the job done as the trail wound its way round in the valley and out to the side of the famous shotover river.

I caught Anka half an hour from Queenstown. She was going very slowly and looked very tired. I had seen her on the mapprogress earlier in the day. She told me she was riding with a broken wrist which she had done 1 week before the event started. 

I reached the Queenstown chaos just after 1PM and booked my boat trip promptly. Fergburger had an absolutely massive queue so I found a fantastic Turkish kebab shop in an alley and bought myself a generous lunch. Several real journey staff members asked if I was doing the tour whilst ordering so I chatted to them about the tour and boarded the boat. I had to move pretty quickly to do everything in the short time I had in Queenstown and forgot to take the control point photo, but Anka only just made the 2PM also and she was much more pushed for time than me.

Then it was sit back and relax for the 45 minute crossing to Walter Peak where I would start the 2^nd leg of today’s ride: 106Kms to Mossburn.

I headed off from the drop off point at 3PM. This leg would feature all gravel riding surface and the Walter peak climb which was the last significant climb of the tour! Yay!

It took 25 minutes to complete the climb and then once I was over the other side I knew it would be primarily downhill all the way for the rest of the tour with a favourable northerly to assist. I’d done the round the mountain cycle track before and began to eat up the km’s again just like last time I was here. I found Malcolm and Scott near the Mavora lakes junction and rode with them for a bit but left them behind on a climb quite quickly. Malcolm’s Giant frame had cracked so I admired his work on taping and tying this up with the resources he had. His comment was “The bike is riding the best it ever has”. He had no idea how long he had been cycling on a broken frame.

I missed the turn to the Oreti River just like last time and had to backtrack 2K into the headwind. It looked like a farm track with gates to get through but after rechecking the GPS I was assured this was the correct way and found myself on the completely un-signed but brand new round the mountain track which would take me using millions of S bends to Mossburn. The track whilst being new had no signage, something which can be unfortunately common for a NZ cycle track. I got caught out by a number of sharp bends and almost fell off a bridge as a result. There was no indication you should slow down and I was trying to ride on my aero bars as much as possible. Finally after 26K of riding the completely flat but squiggly cycle path I arrived at the awesome railway hotel in Mossburn and was greeted by the friendly locals who promptly asked me how my race was going. What race?? I said.

Andy who I had seen on Day 1 of the tour was also staying there and the other TA riders I had passed on this leg eventually joined me. I had done 214ks today and felt good. It was time to put a 200+k day in the bank and I hadn’t done one at all in the south island and I had still finished before it was dark. I ate blue cod fish and chips for dinner and ate some more and then slept in the brand new bunkroom that the hotel owner had built. This place was excellent and very friendly.