Russell
Rest Day 2
Minus our ride across Auckland on Tuesday, we have now finished our first tour in New Zealand. I’d like to think of it as “training camp”.
We arrived here without much long-distance cycling fitness. After a month, we finally feel like we’re in shape. The constant hills and wind and the weight of our bikes have been a challenging way to start this grand adventure. With a good little break then next two weeks, while Leslie’s parents are visiting, we should be ready to have a great time on the South Island.
As far as cycling, here is what we managed to accomplish in the first four weeks:
Distance: 703 kilometers / 436 miles
Time: 51.41 hours
Avg Speed: 13.73kph/8.51 mph
The cycling was really only half of learning curve and we managed to develop a good system for everything else that goes on in a day. Life is now simple in terms of what we have in our possession, but we still have a lot of daily tasks. We’re both “system” oriented people so we have definitely fallen into certain roles and routines. Surprisingly, I’ve really enjoyed having a routine. Here is what a typical day entails:
On travel days we wake up around 6:30 am, get dressed to ride, and haul our food and cookware to the common kitchen. Chris prepares the food (as he does for every meal) and I brew the coffee. We eat, hopefully catching the weather report for the day, and I do dishes after we’re finished. We then pack all of our panniers, disassemble the tent and load the bikes. After putting on the orange vests, we ride off to our next destination. We usually stop a couple of times to eat along the way. We’ve certainly turned into eating machines. After reaching our new home for the night (usually a campervan park) we unload the bikes, set up the tent and change into dry clothes. Dinner is again prepared by Chris, usually hot soup, pasta or rice followed by a chocolate bar for dessert. The last part of the evening is spent writing the daily blog entry and recording all of the day’s statistics (this is Leslie’s geekness in high gear). We (she) like to track all of the cycling info as well as budget items, gps location and any solar charging time.
I’m sure over time the routines will change depending on where we are. One thing is for sure – we are getting the hang of this Bicycle Geography thing.
LK
Minus our ride across Auckland on Tuesday, we have now finished our first tour in New Zealand. I’d like to think of it as “training camp”.
We arrived here without much long-distance cycling fitness. After a month, we finally feel like we’re in shape. The constant hills and wind and the weight of our bikes have been a challenging way to start this grand adventure. With a good little break then next two weeks, while Leslie’s parents are visiting, we should be ready to have a great time on the South Island.
As far as cycling, here is what we managed to accomplish in the first four weeks:
Distance: 703 kilometers / 436 miles
Time: 51.41 hours
Avg Speed: 13.73kph/8.51 mph
The cycling was really only half of learning curve and we managed to develop a good system for everything else that goes on in a day. Life is now simple in terms of what we have in our possession, but we still have a lot of daily tasks. We’re both “system” oriented people so we have definitely fallen into certain roles and routines. Surprisingly, I’ve really enjoyed having a routine. Here is what a typical day entails:
On travel days we wake up around 6:30 am, get dressed to ride, and haul our food and cookware to the common kitchen. Chris prepares the food (as he does for every meal) and I brew the coffee. We eat, hopefully catching the weather report for the day, and I do dishes after we’re finished. We then pack all of our panniers, disassemble the tent and load the bikes. After putting on the orange vests, we ride off to our next destination. We usually stop a couple of times to eat along the way. We’ve certainly turned into eating machines. After reaching our new home for the night (usually a campervan park) we unload the bikes, set up the tent and change into dry clothes. Dinner is again prepared by Chris, usually hot soup, pasta or rice followed by a chocolate bar for dessert. The last part of the evening is spent writing the daily blog entry and recording all of the day’s statistics (this is Leslie’s geekness in high gear). We (she) like to track all of the cycling info as well as budget items, gps location and any solar charging time.
I’m sure over time the routines will change depending on where we are. One thing is for sure – we are getting the hang of this Bicycle Geography thing.
LK
1 comment:
Congratulations on one month!
-JH&SK
Post a Comment