Breakdown

By -



We managed to get a ride to the pub that was 3 miles beyond our motel so the evening was saved.  In the pub was the motel owner's husband, busy rehydrating after a day driving trucks for a road construction crew.  He was already there drinking when we arrived and had at least 5 more while we where there......then drove himself home.  Luckily he didn't offer us a lift!

Using a clever formula that factors in distance and climb today was estimated to be the third hardest of the trip.  It didn't disappoint. It was 80 lumpy miles with a mix of head and cross winds and temperatures that nudged into the 30's.  

An early challenge in the day was a mechanical problem.  The bracket that attaches the battery for my electric gears sheared and the battery unit went bowling down the road.  Luckily it was undamaged and 5 minutes later was reattached with duct tape - not pretty but it works fine.  Over the last 13 years that I have been doing this nonesense I have yet to encounter a mechanical problem that cannot be fixed, or at least bodged, from the contents of a very small tools and spares bag.   That should have nicely cursed tomorrow's ride!

After that it was just a bit of a slog.  Some of it was very pretty and none of it was horrible but the miles came hard and we were very glad to reach our motel in Te Awamatu. This time we had left nothing to chance and secured our recovery drink on the way in and we are now basking in the early evening sun and....err.....recovering.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Now That's What I Call Music Volme 4

By -
Image
Won't Stop Running/Golden Brown The 24-hour dysentery that has been working through the group has now reached me.  Bugger. Invisible  When making any on-line transaction in Merica is necessary to provide a telephone number and a valid zip code.  If paying by credit card this must match the zip code the card is registered to.  There is absolutely no provision for anyone without a US phone number and a card registered to a US address.  It's like non-Mericans don't exist or, maybe, just aren't worth bothering about. Some hotels and supermarkets have devices to scan photo-id. You've guessed it....these only recognise US driving licences.  For hotels you have to piss off and find your passport and in stores you have to wait while the manager is called to authorise the purchase.   We should retaliate and only serve Mericans in the UK if they can correctly pronounce Leicester Square. Wonderful Copenhagen Today we have ridden
Read more

Rage Hard

By -
Image
Leading a tour down the US West Coast isn't the worst way to spend 4 weeks and it has many compensations.  The weather is lovely, the scenery is off the scale and you get to drink magnificent craft beers and eat well.  Putting out the odd fire and springing pillocks from jail is all part of the sport. BUT, and it is a big but (you get a lot of big butts in Merica), the daily hotel check-in is absolutely the worst thing.  Regardless of how carefully you have checked the reservations there is a clenching of the buttocks as you approach reception.  Today the first contact was good....they had all 15 rooms and cats were allowed.....but they weren't ready.  No problem, I was 30 minutes early.  30 minutes later.....still no rooms.  Cyclists were arriving; hot, tired grumpy cyclists.  The receptionist had run out of fucks to give several years ago.  I asked to see the manager.  Out walked a thing that was once the manger but was now a barrel of lard with a head.  We exchan
Read more

Drinking in L.A

By -
Image
We are starting to entertain the very remote possibility that we will make it to the Mexican border! It continues to be an uphill struggle with mechanical and logistical challenges but we battle on. On Tuesday night our hotel was several miles from restaurants so we cleared a few seats in the van and sent out the simplest of instructions......form yourselves into a group of 6 and another of 7, decide whether you want to go to the harbour or downtown and pick a time.  What could possibly go wrong?  We had groups of 4, groups where most wanted the harbour but others wanted downtown, both groups wanting the same time...........I finally got off duty at 9pm, another 14 hour day! Yesterday we rode down through Malibu, Santa Monica and Venice Beach, the latter portion on a superb bike path through the beach.  Despite some heavy traffic in Malibu everyone enjoyed the day and we all arrived in Redondo Beach in high spirits.  Despite an already very high bar in terms of hotel in
Read more