Blog » Southern Alps Tour 2013
Southern Alps Tour 2013
Day 1
Dunedin to Balclutha - 103km
2 stages – 1 KOM & 2 SPRINTS
Day 1 started well with a buffet breakfast and a full stomach. This quickly went down hill, figuratively speaking any way.
Heading out of the hotel and straight up one of Dunedin’s infamous steep streets for the first 1km or so was a great way to start the Southern Alps Tour (not) and as Dan said in his intro, “this is the Southern ALPS tour, not the Southern FLAT tour.”
So off we went towards the first stage and the first KOM, which was up a “long but steady climb.” The climb was 6km long and was more akin to 1minute at V02max and 1minute recovery (x20). I think I am going to wear earplugs for the rest of the tour, too many mind games going on already!
Richard Ussher rode his (barely legal) road bike to the stage victory, edging Chris McDonald by no more than a minute, and well and truly edging me. In fact, the edge of the cliff was looking pretty appealing while riding up that climb.
Stage two saw us head out on a ‘flat’ section of the tour. Again I needed those ear plugs. With a few attacks thrown in over a few of those ‘flat hills’ that have been quite frequent so far, I found myself 100-200m behind Rich and Chris over the first sprint mark. A group of 4 of us managed to keep working and slowly pulled back the deficit that the boys at the front obviously knew wasn’t worth holding…!?
The pace heated up when some incognito motor-pacing took place and the road actually and finally went flat for a change. With 2km to go until the 2nd and final sprint of the day I decided I should utilise my TT bike a little and have a crack early. I got to the sprint first and with a small gap of maybe 100m. With 4-5km to go until the stage finish I decided to keep pushing and try my luck.
I was joined by my fellow TTer, Chris (Big Sexy) McDonald, with a few km’s to go. He thought 50kmph was a good speed to ride and I didn’t really have the chance to express my concerns. I popped about 100m from the line, finishing 2nd to Chris, and managing to pull a little time back on Richard. It will be a tight race between those two boys for the yellow, but at least I might be in the green jersey… for one day anyway.
Tomorrow we ride through one of best kept secrets and most epic areas in New Zealand, the Catlins. I’ll try and throw a few photo’s up as we go (www.dylanmcneice.com/media)
Cheers
Dylan
Jersey's:
Yellow - Chris
KOM - Richard
Sprint - Dylan
Day 2
Balclutha to Invercargill, via The Catlins – 164km
3 stages – 2 KOM & 2 SPRINTS
Day 2 started with a 40min run and what is becoming the standard buffet breakfast.
We then rolled our way through the green pastures of lower Otago before crossing the heavily fortified (by mountains and friendly locals) border in to Southland.
The first stage had a couple of climbs with KOM points on the line. Richard took the first one pretty comfortably, but was rolled by Chris on the second one and was lucky that I was busy playing race photographer instead of concentrating on the sprint to come… yeah sure. The stage finished with another climb and once again it was Richard who took the honours.
It was a pretty amazing stage with some spectacular views of the ocean and beach’s along the way.
We then rolled out for an open stage and saved the fireworks until the end. The down hill sprint was a goodie, but Richard once again got his big nose in front (literally by a nose) and showed us his all-round ability. I simply couldn’t get in front. Chris had a puncture only a couple hundred meters from the finish line, or so he says, I didn’t hear a thing.
The next stage was a bit flatter and included a couple of sprints. The Big Man Dan managed to suck my wheel for long enough to win the first sprint, but even with the blocking help of his brother, Big Sexy, he still wasn’t able to hold me off for my first stage win. Time to retire…
We then had an ‘easy’ spin to the bottom of the infamous Bluff Hill. 26km later we arrived after battling through a tailwind? Odd.
Bluff Hill is pretty ridiculous and either the builders of the hill or the builders of the road, or both, should be shot. We set off at 30 second intervals and it was Richard who again took demoralised us with cruise to victory over Chris and myself.
A big shout out to everyone who rode up that hill and even those who had to walk! It kicks up to around 25% at one stage and it takes a herculean effort just to stay upright.
It was a big day today, 182km in total, and tomorrow is a big one with no real respite. All essentially up hill in to the beautiful Lake Te Anau region.
A few photos are up.
Thanks for reading.
Dylan
Day 3
Invercargill to Te Anau – 189km
3 Stages – 1 KOM, 1 SPRINT, & 1 TTT
Southland didn’t disappoint on day 3. The token buffet breakfast, rain, wind, and some awesome scenery greeted us, as well as a stage straight out of the Tour of Southland books.
Chris, Richard and I snuck in a swim at Splash Palace under my old and legendary swimming coach Jeremy Duncan. He kept us honest for 4 or so km’s and then sent us on our way for 189 clicks on the bike.
The stage started wet and remained that way for the first 80odd km’s. As the stage wore on we battled more and more wind and had some hairy moments along the deep south coast with a howling and gusting cross wind. ‘Big Man Dan’ tried a solo break earlier than most (clean) Tour de France riders would consider possible and this poor decision was made even more obvious when his own team mate pulled him in after 15-20minutes. As his brother ‘Big Sexy’ said, “you have the racing brain of a rat” (C. McDonald. Aka Big Sexy. 2013).
The stage was won by the now wise and sexy ‘Big Wise Sexy’ in a sprint that left Richard and I feeling like he had a few more weet-bix than us for breakfast… since he was born!
We all arrived in Tuatapere alive and most of us in one piece, minus Crunchy who has a knee that has been gnawing away at him since his ascent of Bluff hill yesterday.
After a good feed we saddled up and shot off towards Manapouri with a ‘you wouldn’t read about it’ result up the only KOM of the day. Yip, Richard cleaned us up and made it look way too easy, which is why I didn’t look. He also won the sprint on this stage, but we are all getting bored of hearing about Richard winning everything.
Once in Manapouri it was Team Time Trial time. Teams of 4 and a couple of 3 were set off on the 20km’s to Te Anau. It was good fun and a good way to end a 189km day. A big mention must go to my team of Noel (68 years old), Stewart (63 years old), and Martin (54 years old. Corrected). They were on fire and managed an average of 35.4kmh. Not too shabby considering what they have been through over the last few days.
Tomorrow we get to do what very little people have ever done and that is ride through the Milford tunnel. It should be fun in the dark, wet, slippery and pothole filled road. We will finish in Te Anau again in preparation for our final assault towards Queenstown on day 5.
Until tomorrow!
Cheers
Day 4
Milford Sound to Te Anau, via the Milford tunnel (yes, on our bikes!) – 118km
1 stage – 1 KOM (where’s my road bike when I need it!)
Day 4 saw us awake to the most anticipated day of the tour.
Although in your mind it is all ‘downhill’ after making it through the halfway mark and completing day 3, the fourth day saw the biggest and toughest climb (ranked #2 climb in NZ) rise up to meet us. Milford Sound is one of the most renowned scenic and tourist locations in NZ. The place is just stunning, but it is located in what used to be one of the most inaccessible parts of NZ. Never mind though, some nutters (thank you) decided to build a road and a tunnel through to it.
The road from the tunnel to Milford includes a 16km climb at an average gradient of 10% and views consist mainly of almost sheer vertical cliffs and flowing waterfalls.
Thankfully a truce was called at the bottom while we ate our second buffet breakfast of sand flies covered in insect repellent and we decided to enjoy the views rather than breath razor blades as we did on all other climbs. We were then escorted as a group through the homer tunnel, a 1.5km, pretty bloody steep, wet, and dark hole in the rock. An experience some of us may never get the chance to do again and one we’ll never forget.
Once we cleared the mountain and the tunnel we re-grouped and set off on an 88km open stage, with one mystery KOM. It is now no mystery that I won my first KOM in a ball-busting sprint to the line with Richard, Big Sexy, Big Man Dan, and Mike ;)
We continued on and the tempo slowly, but surely, started to pick up. I would love to say that I enjoyed every meter of the ride and took in every ounce of scenery along the way, but that would be lying. All I really saw were wheels, chip-seal, gel packets, a muesli bar, and the odd ass when I looked up or in the wrong place. Never the less it was a great ride and just adds to the whole experience of heading in and out of Milford. It is rolling terrain through forests, fields, and follows the Hollyford River down the valley back to Te Anau.
The stage ended with another, but the same, lesson for Richard and me. We need to eat a shit load more Weet-bix if we want to beat Big Sexy in a sprint. He was the champ of the day and well deserved after pulling some big turns on our way back.
A special mention has to go to everyone who got through today. It was cold, hot and a bit of wind thrown in there, not to mention the tough terrain and of course the 460odd other kilometres that had been ridden over the 3 days prior.
Our last day beckons us and it will not be easy with Te Anau to the Crown Range on the menu. There will be a lot of rollers along the way to keep the legs honest, but also and as usual, some amazing scenery to boot.
Catch you tomorrow… I hope!
Day 5
Te Anau to Queenstown, hill top finish on the Crown Range – 180km
4 stages – 2 KOM & 2 SPRINTS
Our final day dawned in the beautiful tourist town of Te Anau once again.
Our ride for day 5 was equally as beautiful, if not the most stunning day of the tour.
Our route took us from Te Anau all the way through to Queenstown and beyond, finishing up on the crown range.
The morning silence was broken by a lot of chatter about the ridiculousness of riding literally within 100m of our hotel for the night, the Hilton Queenstown, and waving it good bye for another couple of hours for the chance to go and bury ourselves for the last time with a 3km individual time trial up the switch backs on the crown range.
The ride to lunch included a couple of stages. The first of which had a sprint, which I once again let Dan have the line honours ;), a KOM, which Richard of course won, and then nothing until the finish line. Matt, the B-Grade Break King, decided to do what he does best and try his luck once more for a stage victory. He broke away with 20km to go and despite the best efforts of the other B-grade riders he was able to come away with a great stage win (and an apparent ‘I can fart where ever I like ego’).
The next stage was a 15km individual time trial. I basically talked myself out of this one and was happy enough to eat humble pie after being whipped by all of the other A-grade men. Chris showed his power again and stormed through the 15km for the win.
At lunch the unanimously un-unanimous decision (yes it is supposed to make no sense) was made that the last part of the tour should be scrapped and instead we should enjoy our 5-star accommodation for a bit longer, along with a few beers. So we set off for our ‘last’ stage of the tour and the best really was saved to last. The views and road along the Southern Arm of Lake Wakatipu are simply wicked and the 60km’s went by in a flash, just like Chris ‘Big Sexy’ McDonald when he decided that the only way he could win the tour was to put some big time in to Richard in a surprise, blitzkrieg like attack on the group. The only thought that went through my head was “are you f…ing kidding me,” and no he wasn’t. I saw Richard go after him like a cut cat (as well as B-Grade Break King Matt for 100m) and so I decided that this would have to be my last effort of the tour. It was a lost cause. Richard managed to hold the damage to 25 seconds and effectively, bar a melt down on the crown range (which we weren’t riding anyway?), secured the tour title.
Sweet tour over! But of course it wasn’t, as we sailed by within a stone’s throw of our accommodation towards the crown range.
As I set off on my time trial up the crown range my legs and mind exploded and I wondered what the hell I was doing… but for the last time. At that moment I thought of all those other mad people riding up the hill in front of me who hadn’t complained a bit and were smashing themselves up this final ascent. I told myself to harden up and ride like I stole it.
At the top it was over and I was (secretly) pleased to have held off a flying Richard up the climb (he did start a minute behind, but who is counting!?).
There is no better way to spend 5 days if you love the outdoors, riding a bike, and testing your limits. A great time was had by all and I am sure they and many more will all be back for the 3rd edition of the Southern Alps Tour in November 2014.
A massive thank you must go to the support crew and organisers. Kay, Dan, Nadine, Russell, Tina, Brett, Markus, and Lachy made it the tour it was by providing a foundation and then backing that up with what ever was needed to make it happen during the tour.
Of course congratulations to everyone who made it through the tour. It is a pretty amazing achievement for anyone and even as a professional it was still my biggest bike week ever. A bit under 800km in 5 days. Not too bad!
See you all next year and thanks for reading!
Cheers
Dylan
Season Preview 2013-2014
So it has been a while since I last wrote, but things are heating up and the season ahead is looking busy. Therefore I thought it was time to let those who are interested know my plans.
The next few weeks are super busy and I am looking forward to a couple of races and a few awesome bike rides around the South Island of NZ
First up this weekend is the South Island Half Ironman Champs at Lake Hood in Ashburton. This is a good chance to get an early hit out in the legs and has provided some good motivation for training over the last 4 weeks. It’s a pretty impressive field for little old Ashburton with Richard Usher (multi-sport legend) and Chris McDonald (twice Ironman champ for 2013 alone) lining up, not to mention a host of other up-and-coming and solid athletes.
After Ashburton it will be off to the Christchurch races on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Dunedin on Wednesday, and then the Start of the Southern Alps tour for the following 5 days (http://southernalpstour.co.nz/). The tour is an all-inclusive 5-star bike tour/race, taking in some of the South Islands most beautiful spots and rides.
After I return home on Tuesday the 19th, I will then be on a plane to Sydney on Wednesday heading for the first of the new Challenge events at Forster (http://challengeforster.com.au/). Hopefully after a busy couple of weeks with some higher intensity thrown in there I will be able to produce a decent result!
After Forster I will have an easy week of recovery and a wedding thrown in there before the Build-up to Challenge Wanaka starts early December.
Hope to see you all out there over the summer!
Thanks for reading
Cheers
Dylan
