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JEREMY AND ERIC RIDE 
TOUR AOTEAROA*

*on Raleigh 20s.
A Raleigh Rally, if you will.

because why wouldn't you? New Zealand is so little and Raleigh 20's are known for their all terrain capability, their craftsmanship and their copious amount of luggage carrying capacity ..

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ABOUT US

We’re two friends who have worked together and ridden mountain bikes together for a number of years.

Without any particular experience in endurance events or very much forethought, with a relaxed training regime and a lot of optimism, we’re riding the Tour Aotearoa on our Raleigh 20 bicycles.
But aren’t they kids bikes, you ask? Well, umm .. who knows, really. (We'll keep you posted ..!)

​Starting at Cape Reinga at 7am on 17 Feb, we aim to make our way 3000km all the way south to Bluff without breaking down emotionally, physically, or mechanically. (We're on the road now, you can track where we are here!)

We’re raising money for Christchurch City Mission, a charity that does incredible work for underprivileged people in Christchurch. If you’d like to support us and make our insanity worthwhile, please give generously to City Mission here.

Thanks to those who have helped make this possible- our families for tolerating our silliness, Bevan at Frontal Lobe for helping with set up, our employers for allowing us time off but who probably won’t miss us, and you, for reading this blog.

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Big River

DAY 17


We were going to leave ‘early’ this morning. You’ll be surprised to hear we didn’t. Reefton is a town that has really got in behind the Tour Aotearoa, and there are ‘Welcome TA riders’ signs everywhere. So, obviously, we stopped for a pie and a coffee.


And we stopped at the local sports shop on the off chance they had a 20 inch tire because we’d used our spare (again). They not only had a good selection of suitable tires, but they also refused to let us pay for it. Turns out a TA rider was passing through earlier in the week and paid for two tires but ended up only needing one, so just left a credit at the shop for the next person who needed a tire - so if you're reading this, Jason: you’re a champion, much appreciated! Also, huge thanks Reefton Sports for your help, and all of the mechanical work that you are doing for free for TA riders - you guys are awesome.


After that delightful little interaction, our spirits were lifted as we headed in to Big River Track - knowing that this is the part of the course a lot of people disliked because it was difficult and slow. And after last nights big rainfall, exactly how bad was it going to be?



Turns out it was great fun. Sure, there were some bits we didn’t ride, there was some pushing, there was some (a lot) of slightly sketchy sliding along wet tree roots, and there was a lot of mud. But in our view, that’s what mountain biking in NZ is all about. Some tracks you can’t easily do over 100km in a day on .. Big River is certainly one of those, and it’s a great part of the route because of it.



apparently the rain did have an effect .. track or stream??

We got out of the track late afternoon and after replacing our worn out brake pads, were discussing whether to push on 55km more to Greymouth, when we came across Ikamatua. Stopping outside the Ikamatua Hotel, we decided that, if we could get a cheap bed, we’d call it a day. $25 per person for a cabin - done deal!


And after a steak meal at the hotel, another great day was done.




Todays stats:

58 km total

5:28 riding time

1114 m elevation gain

2374 calories

46.4 kph max

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