Tour de Tasmania 1200 Ride Report

Transcription

1 When I first read about the TdT1200 I was immediately interested. Interesting terrain, plenty of climbing, and close enough to New Zealand to make for an affordable trip. I registered my interest and secured my place as soon as entries opened. Flights and accommodation was organised and annual leave was applied for. I didn t spend much time analysing the route or forming much of a picture of what to expect but the general consensus seemed to be that this was one of the harder 1200k events on the calendar. I had done plenty of riding in the lead up with the Queenstown to Picton 1000k in December and two 600ks in the space of three weeks prior to departure, including the highly recommended Picton Westport Picton 600k. So the day of departure arrived and I spent twelve or so hours sitting on planes or in airports before eventually arriving in Hobart at 9pm. One of the ride organisers Stuart, was kind enough to collect me at the airport and deliver me to the backpackers in central Hobart. The next morning I awoke and took a stroll through the city, taking in the historic buildings and scenic landscape. I would best describe Hobart as Wellington like in both size and layout, but with many historic brick buildings and interesting architecture. I unpacked and assembled my bike before taking it for a test ride up Mt Wellington which is directly behind Hobart city. This was an awesome climb with over 1200m of elevation gain on gentle gradients.

2 I spent the rest of the day relaxing before attending the bike check and pre ride evening meal with the other riders. RideWithGPS Day 1: 356km, +5000m, Total Duration 15hrs 12minutes We assembled the next morning for the 5am start. The weather was a little overcast but the temperatures were reasonably mild. The ride was led across the bridge and out of the city by a local rider in order to get everyone through the city streets on onto the quieter country roads. As we reached the outskirts of the city the lead rider dropped back and we were free to ride at our own pace. Pretty soon a group of 6 or so riders assembled and we rode of some gently rolling terrain through vineyards as the sun was coming up. We continued over rolling terrain through small settlements and farmland before making our way down a river gorge and arriving at the first checkpoint (79k). We got our cards signed and stopped long enough for a coffee and a bite to eat. The next 200k was mostly coastal and the scenery was much like the coast of New Zealand. The terrain was gently rolling with only one notable climb of 200m. Along this stretch people settled into their own pace and our group became three; Adam Morley, Andrew Bragg and myself. Knowing that there was at least 4500m of climbing for the day I kept wondering when we would hit it and knowing the remaining distance for the day I guessed that the final stretch would have plenty of climbing. We stopped at the last checkpoint before the overnight control and had another sit down feed. From this point only 90km remained. The climbing finally arrived with RideWithGps reported some 1800m or so climbing in the space of 90k, including a reasonable 500m climb before a fast descent to the historic Weldborough Hotel where we stopped for a cold sprite. We continued over more rolling terrain and arrived at the overnight control is Scottsdale shortly after 7pm. RideWithGPS Day 2: 365km, +4400m, Total Duration 17hrs 28minutes After a decent sleep I woke up and set off at 5am. Once again everyone settle into their own pace and after 10km we hit a 400m climb which woke the legs up. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and the bulk of the riders were spread over 5 or so km. After the climb we had a gradual descent down into Launcheston just in time for the 9am traffic rush. We stopped at a café where I was disappointed to find that porridge had been replaced with quinoa on the menu, so I opted for a trusty toasted sandwich. The route wandered along the Tamar River before a dogleg which took us inland where we eventually arrived at the Westbury checkpoint (475km), greeted by the ride supporters with cold beverages and mars bar muffins. By this stage Adam Morley and I were riding together and taking turns into the wind. Fortunately they weren t as fierce as the good old Manawatu back home. By now it was quite warm and we were approaching the base of the 900m climb up onto the great lake plateau. After getting into a climbing rhythm the climb was fairly enjoyable, a series of

3 switchbacks through eucalypts with no severe gradients. At the top of the climb Adam and I drifted apart and I found myself riding alone and without water. I pedaled on, feeling slightly sorry for myself and hanging out for the sight of the pub by the great lake where I would be able to get water and food. Eventually it came into view, a welcome sight. Another rider, James Brinkoff was just getting ready to leave so we had a quick chat before He headed off and I headed inside for some much needed food and water. There was still about 100k to ride to the overnight, including the next 25k which was unsealed road. This unsealed section turned out to be fairly tame and quite hard packed so it was fine with 25c tires. The descent off the plateau was fairly spectacular and fast. Before long I was at the final checkpoint (Deloraine 661km) before the overnight control. There was a ride supporter posted there with food and drink and Adam Morley rolled in while I was still standing around chatting. It was now starting to get dark so Adam and I put on our night gear and lights and headed out of town. The last 50k was nice rolling terrain with very little traffic and at 10:30pm I finally arrived at Gowie park the overnight control (717km)

4 RideWithGps Day 3: 221km, +4000m, Total Duration: 11hrs 34minutes Everyone was writing off day 3 due to the shorter distance but I figured that I may as well get an early start and hopefully arrive nice and early at the next overnight control in Queenstown. I departed from Gowie Park by myself and rode up the first climb onto Cradle Mountain as the sun begun to rise. It was cold and misty up on top and when I reached the Cradle Mountain Cafe I found it was not yet open. Not wanting to hang around and wait I headed off and before long I was descending again into a small settlement Tullah. The terrain for the day included quite a bit of climbing and after covering about 100km my average speed was 21km/h. The next 50k relented a bit and as I approached the next checkpoint at Zeehan (852km) I met James on the road again. It was nice to have someone to ride with again and we decided to stick together for the remaining 90km. We arrived in the mining town of Queenstown shortly after 5pm and were greeted by the ride organisers before chowing down on some great pizzas. RideWithGps Day 4: 266km, +4000m, Total Duration: 12hrs 22minutes The final day began with 20+ switchbacks on the climb out of Queenstown, James and I continued to ride together through what was a cold and foggy morning. The highlight was the climb up through the conservation area before arriving at the next checkpoint Derwent Bridge (1024km). We had a nice cafe feed before James and I left, deciding that from here on we would keep stoppages to a minimum and ride the remaining 180km with only the necessary quick stops for water and food. The last 180km was incredibly enjoyable as a fine hot day developed. We rode now on much gentler terrain that was trending downhill all the way to Hobart. The bush gave way to farmland which reminded me of riding down the Wairau valley in Malborough. From the outskirts of Hobart we navigated the well formed cycleways which took us all the way to the finish in Salamanca square. We rolled into the finish just after 5pm to a gathering of ride organisers and supporters. Overall the ride was awesome; well organised, beautiful interesting terrain, light traffic, and a great bunch of fellow riders. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the 2018 edition!

5 At the finish line

6 At Derwent bridge; Left to right: Vinnie, Jeremy, Andrew, James Westbury with Adam Morley

7 Heading out from Derwent Bridge for the final 180km