TT2000 2019 - South Island, New Zealand

[PistonBlown]

Not been online for a while but thought I'd post a write-up of the latest TT2000 ride as I normally do one here.

For those who are not familiar with the TT2000 from my previous posts then the idea is to do a minimum of 2000km in 48hrs (midday Friday to midday Sunday). Which sounds relatively easy until you realise the sorts of roads involved - narrow, twisty, some of them gravel. There are multiple checkpoints, some optional some not and you have to plan the best route you can to score at least the minimum points. At each checkpoint you have to take a photo of your bike and draped with a t-shirt they give you at the start of the event. For more info see https://www.tt2000.org/

TT2000 - 2019

I like to think strong-willed, tenacious, resistant. Loved ones have said pig-headed, obstinate, recalcitrant.

Whatever words you use one of the ways this shows up is my complete unwillingness, once I’m riding, to stop. I begrudgingly accept petrol stops, though always pushed to the last opportunity. I happy with checkpoints, but approach them like a formula 1 pitstop, something to complete with minimum delay.

This trait played its usual tricks at this year’s TT2000 - but previous TT’s have also taught me compromise is always needed and this year was no exception.

In search of sleep and pants

First to go was rest. I had planned to sleep well the week beforehand, but the unexpected arrival of an old friend put paid to that. With that ease that comes with lifelong friendships we chatted and put the world to rights into the early hours. Not good prep for an event like this.

The unexpected guest also caused another problem. I normally store my motorbike gear, and lots of other stuff, in the spare bedroom. All of this got cleared out in a hurry and in the confusion my motorbike pants did a disappearing act. You wouldn’t believe such a bulky item could vanish completely.

It was tempting to claim a new first for the TT i.e. first person to do one in their underpants. Fortunately, an 11th hour find saved the blushes of other motorists.

Hurry up and wait

Its a midday start but my plans for a lay-in on the Friday also went to pot as I forgot to change my alarm. As a result I was ready to go by 7am, as we’re only an hour from the start point that’s a tad early. I wasted time as best I could at home before heading out, even so there weren’t many bikes there when I arrived.

First check in with Wayne the organiser of the event, then into the Yaldhurst for bacon & eggs and my last coffee of the weekend. Within a minute of sitting down someone joins me, the chat starts, and the TT2000 family envelops. From that point on it’s just chatting, comparing plans, admiring new bikes and explaining the new ‘beer barrel’ that’s appeared on the back of mine. I feel a twinge of disappointment when Wayne calls everyone over, there’s still people I’ve hardly spent time with.

Start3.jpg

Normally the t-shirts are collected after the briefing, but the wind had arrived blowing them everywhere. So Wayne (with reluctance as he knows what’s coming) tells us to collect them first. The rest of the briefing passes without incident, well apart from my camel pack springing a leak all down my back. But with the t-shirt scrummage removed it’s like a racing sprint start as soon as he’s done.

The plan

TT2000 Route.jpg

For the last couple of years I’ve been thinking about doing a ‘double’ iron butt, 3219kms in the 48 hours to make the TT2000 mean 2000 miles. In 2017 I ran out of time and missed my target by 158km. 2018 and the last-minute closure of SH1 at Kaikoura meant my route plan went out the window. This year I was sure my strange figure of eight route was going to do it.

I was going to do every checkpoint but one. The exception being the Ashburton adventure check point was off limits with its narrow approach. I’m sure Wayne had put it in deliberately to stop me doing them all - apparently one year, when I got the most points and km's, a couple of the adventure riders had complained he wasn't making it hard enough:-)

Initially I had also planned to miss Alexander ADV flyer at Fraser dam. But comments from a certain Africa Twin rider meant curiosity had got the better of common sense.

However, the main reason for my route though was to avoid SH1 as much as possible. In particular the stretch between Christchurch and Ashburton, which in my mind is the most soul-destroying bit of road in the whole of the South Island. As a bonus this also meant I would get to do the tight twisty road of Rakaia Gorge in each direction.

In and down

Out of The Yaldhurst and it’s a left turn for the Mt Somer checkpoints while most turn right. Despite there being 170 odd bikes at the start within a couple of minutes there’s not another one to be seen.

Mt Somers ADV.jpg

Previously, with a range of around 220km, I’d spent more time planning my fuel stops than my checkpoints. But the new ‘beer barrel’ meant my range was now over 500km. The checkpoints quickly fell without the frequent visits to petrol stations and I rode southwards with the mountains on my right playing peekaboo between the clouds.

Coming up to the Lewis Pass checkpoint and I have a problem. The car that I’d not long passed has decided, after driving at snail’s pace, that they don’t like being overtaken and is tailgating. There’s a line of traffic coming the other way and there’s nowhere to pull up on the left to let things settle down. Only option is to cross diagonally and pull down the steep gravel path beside the checkout before the traffic arrives. This works fine but when it’s time to leave and reverse out the back wheel just spins and digs a hole. I can’t go forward because I have a ditch in front of me, and now I can’t push the Spyder back because the back wheels dug in. Try as might the Spyder will not move. I dig with my hands to try and clear it, try rocking it back and forth, sit on the pillion seat to add weight on the rear wheel, nothing works. After 10 minutes of sweat and swearing I work out if I get the rear wheel spinning, standing to the side and push my leg against the back of the Spyder I can move the back end sideways in an arc. Eventually, and with plenty of white smoke, I get the frontend pointing enough towards the road to ride out of my predicament.

After a few more checkpoints, and darkness falling, the main challenge of the day arrives – Fraser Dam. When I’d been comparing routes with Mark on what he, Jeff and Gavin had planned before the TT we’d worked out that we would probably pass each other at Frazer Dam. At the time I’d said - “I’ll probably not see you then as I’m to missing that one out”. But as I rode out of Cromwell I decided to detour and give it a go just to see if our guess had been right.

It didn’t take me long to regret that decision. It was pitch black and the Spyder was really struggling around a series of sharp, steep corners on the rough surface. The backend was sliding all over the place and I was fixated with the bit lit up my lights trying to pick the best line to follow. So much so that I ended up missing a turning and doing two km’s along the wrong track. It was only when I finally glanced and saw the yellow line I should have been following far to the right on the GPS that I realised my mistake.

I backtracked to the turning and not long after spot bikes coming the other way with the iconic twin lights of an original Africa Twin leading the way. Good sign, I must be on the right track and obviously the three amigos were on their way back out. But as went past I noticed one bike was missing, Marks African Twin – had something happened to him, a breakdown or worse?

As I hit the final slope down to the checkpoint, I could see a bike parked up. Its Mark, and the first thing he asks is have I seen the other two! I babble, probably incoherently, at him about seeing them heading the other way as I’m a bit hyped from the ride in and even more worried about the ride out. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes two sets of familiar lights appear coming back towards the checkpoint. I don’t stick around though as I just want to get the return journey over and done with.

Of course, having ridden it once the track seems easier on the way out. At one point I’m even joined by a little owl that flies just above the beam of my headlights, following me through two or three bends before diving on something at the side of the track. I can only assume it was using my headlights to startle and flush out prey.

As I get near the end of the track I see another startling sight. It’s a Goldwing making its way, seemingly effortlessly, around the roughly surfaced corners. Who else would it be but Johan.

From there it’s the last three checkpoints before my first nights stop at Ranfurly with just over a thousand km’s done.

Back up and over

Next morning and it’s on the cusp of dawn when I get to my second checkpoint at Danseys Pass Inn. From here I had planned to take the long route to Kurow via SH1 - but with dawn not far off and the thought that I’d probably be the first Spyder rider to do it, I decided to take the shortcut over Danseys Pass. This meant I’d not be able to do the planned 2000 miles, but it was too good an opportunity to miss.

With dawn slowly breaking the ride was fantastic, breaking my usual no-stopping habit I even halt a couple of times to sit and admire the views. There’s no one else on the road, though I do pass a tent with a bike parked alongside at one point, not sure if they were a TT riders but they picked a lovely spot to camp.

From Kurow (birthplace of Richie McCaw) it was a twisting route back out to the coast and then inland over the Arthurs pass to the western side of the mountains before heading further north. At Rakaia Gorge I even get lucky and have a completely clear run up through the twisty section.

Maruia ADV (2).jpg

The previous day I hardly saw another bike, but today I see more and more TT riders going to and from checkpoints. The checkpoints fall one after another with some lovely bits of road between them until I arrived at the Kawatiri checkpoint where it was time to turn east.

It started to rain. I had the vents on my jacket open and I really should stop to close them and change my gloves. But my stubborn streak came out and I decided to keep going to the next checkpoint. By the time I got there the rain has stopped and I forget to sort my gear. After a couple of km’s I remember, but of course I don’t want to stop. This was a mistake as the rain returned getting heaver and heaver. Pig-headedly I refuse to stop until St Arnaud by which time my top half and gloves were soaked. It took forever to get sorted as my fingers were cold, the zips wet and sticking, etc. Why can’t I just stop when it first starts to rain, why do I always make the same mistake? Mr Obstinate.

The rain and wind were constantly changing, with them the road conditions which slowed progress. At Renwick the rains eased and after a quick top-up of petrol it was off to Mystery 1. I fumbled around in the dark trying to get a photo where the checkpoint was recognisable. While doing so a whole load of vehicles go past heading north. I paid no real attention to them until I catch them up on the road to Havelock. For some reason the person at the front had decided that 30kmph was the perfect speed. It was dark, raining again and there was a lot of traffic coming the other way so few chances to overtake – in the end it took close to an hour to get to the Havelock check point.

Tired, damp and cold I decided to leave the two Havelock flyers until the morning and headed for my motel. That night tropical cyclone Oma hits.

It’s raining, it’s pouring…

…but I wasn’t snoring. Instead I was up very early, sitting on the Spyder, thinking what to do. In my heart I was desperate to do all the remaining checkpoints. My brain was saying that’s not sensible or safe - the weather was too bad and closure of SH1 was a possibility at the Kaikoura roadworks.

I sat there for a good ten minutes debating with myself until I finally came down safety-first. Sometimes you do have to compromise. I’d just do the remaining mandatory checkpoints and one optional one as I headed southwards and leave it at that.

For the first part of the journey the wind was blowing the rain from every direction, even upwards. But there wasn’t much water on the road and in those conditions the Spyder was in its element. So stable despite the wind and rain. At the Seddon checkpoint I caught up with Liz and Chris on their distinctive green Kawasaki’s, a quick chat with TT riders at times like these that bucks you up for the next few km’s.

As I said the Spyder is very good in bad weather, but it does have a big weak point. When there is sufficient water on the road it starts aquaplaning badly. Lack of weight over the rear combined with quite a wide tire are the cause, but also my choice of ‘race’ tires for the rear don’t help.

Around Ward I hit the first section of deep water with the Spyder fishtailing and jarring, from there on it happened again and again. I slow right down and keep as careful lookout as possible, but in the dark one bit of wet road looks much like another. It’s almost a relief to reach 30km limits and traffic lights of the Kaikoura roadworks

I did get caught out at one set of traffic lights though. As I pulled away, what I thought was just a puddle of water turned out to mini lake. A deluge of water fountained up from both front wheels. I couldn’t see a thing through the water and had to ride blind until I was clear.

Kaikoura FLY.jpg

Over the years I’ve slowly bought decent waterproof gear and sure enough my jacket, trousers, gloves all stood up to this fine. The only thing I still hadn’t sorted was my old boots and this ‘lake’ was their final downfall on this ride. They got soaked, and though the rest of me was initially dry I started suffering from rising damp. The water in my boots began to wick up the inside of my trousers through my dry clothes. By the time I got to Kaikoura it had reached my knees and by the end of the TT it had reached my chest.

All good things…

The rain slowly eased the further south I got though it stayed cloudy and cold. I ended up arriving back at the Yaldhurst at 9:50am having done 2,698km. Two hours before I’d planned to but probably a good four hours less than if I’d stuck with the original plan in that weather.

I checked in with Wayne and Mike Mahon. It was particularly fantastic to see Mike there as it was he who’d introduced me the to the wonders of the TT2000 a few years back and started my addiction.

Decide to skip breakfast at the Yaldhurst as I wasn’t hungry despite having lived on nut bars for the last couple of days. So it was back on the road again heading north, along the way greeting some of the other returning TT2000 riders with enthusiastic waving.

Oh and points wise I came 7th out of 172 riders, and 2nd longest on distance.

Drat….got to wait a whole year for the next one.

[safecracker]

Wow, what an adventure. Great write up. Bruce

[Doug5283]

Thanks for this. Very well written. That was a lot of fun to read.

[treva]

Really enjoyed reading your adventure, good one mate. Haven't ridden only driven most of the roads on the South Island. Absolutely stunning.

[Chupaca]

Well done.. great writeup. It is beautiful country. My daughter goes every year and brings fantastic pictures.

[PistonBlown]

Well done.. great writeup. It is beautiful country. My daughter goes every year and brings fantastic pictures.

You know you're going to have to come over with her one time and see for yourself;-)

[LeftCoast]

Great read, thank you!