Ride the Long White Cloud Day 9 – Nelson to Reefton

bike ride picton to nelson

Another long and rainy day on the South Island, but yet another 211 km down. Here’s Cam’s version of events:

Last night I woke up at midnight, my left knee and leg was aching. My ITBs were super tight too (I knew I hadn’t rolled enough before icing). I got out of bed and rolled, putting tension on tight areas. I rubbed more anti-inflammatory cream on the knee and got back to sleep just after 1 am.

The alarm goes off at 6 am and I’m out the door for 7 am, just before sunlight. It’s taking me a while to get going in the morning; I limp around and wonder how I’m going to ride. But interestingly, while my knee has become swollen and stiff and I’m hobbling around like a cripple off the bike – on the bike I’m getting my movement back. The last two days I could actually get out of the saddle, a welcomed relief to stretch the legs from time to time during an 8 hour day.

7 km into the ride this morning, I hear a BANG. My tyre deflates within seconds. The tube exploded, the tyre was not at fault. I’ve been running a new setup since Taupo: Schwalbe Pro One on the front and G One on the back. It’s been excellent. I change the tube on the highway, trucks zooming past, a reminder of what’s in store for the day.

I get going, but another 10 km down the road I need to go to the toilet. All good, being a bloke I’ll find a discrete area on the side on the road and disappear for 30 seconds. Normally I’d find a place within a few minutes, so I’ll hold on until…too late, I slightly wet myself as I think I still have control of my bodily movements. Wrong. I’m deeply fatigued, strange things are happening to my body.

I get going again. About 50 km into the ride I see incredible snow-capped mountains in the background. “I must be heading there”, I think to myself, but they disappear as I enter a massive gully. I don’t see them for the rest of the day. I push over some incredible mountains today and then pop out on a quieter highway, to Reefton, only 35 km to go. That last hour today was my longest. It went forever, and it rained. Tomorrow I’m aiming for Whataroa, 220 km down the road.

That fundraising thing

Please don’t forget to check out the Ride the Long White Cloud campaign page for more info on Cam’s ride. Please make a donation to CanTeen New Zealand and Australia as you see fit. Any amount is greatly appreciated!

Follow Cam through New Zealand – check out our other ride updates below:

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 1

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 2

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 3

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 4

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 5

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 6

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 7

Ride the Long White Cloud – Day 8

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