swtchbckr wrote:

Oli wrote:Woah, what's happening with Jacob Postrygacz's SPOT tracking???

i asked that earlier. apparently his and Andy Reids spot trackers are muddling each other's signals and therefore jumping all over the place...

Not only Jakub's and Andy's but Marquita's too

BrokenKonaRider wrote:

.I. wrote:looks like you are meant to go to Springfeild, but then head out on Pocock Rd not SH 73, as it appaers some have done. Will be interesting to see what Simons Tracker shows ?

Simon and Sifter have gone around Springfield, as per the intended route.

Maybe it wasn't a shortcut before, maybe riders indeed see an ice cream shop and a big tree to rest under.

Yelloshack cafe ??

znomit wrote:Just found the elevation chart:
http://www.cycletech.co.nz/kiwibrevet/i ... t-2010.png

Poor buggers, just when they thought they were out of the Alps and high mountains, look what they have to get up to get to Hanmer! Almost as high as Porters Pass.

That is some damn hard terrain. XCGuy can attest to this as can plenty of people who have done the McDonald Down's races...

And apparently Scott Mac got hit by a car, ok, but a bung rr Dr that needed to be fixed

Bugger!

graeme_mtb wrote:

znomit wrote:Just found the elevation chart:
http://www.cycletech.co.nz/kiwibrevet/i ... t-2010.png

Poor buggers, just when they thought they were out of the Alps and high mountains, look what they have to get up to get to Hanmer! Almost as high as Porters Pass.

The big peak on that chart after Sheffield is the Wharfedale Saddle I suspect. From there it is pretty cruisy all the way to Hanmer. Andy and Ollie have just in the last 10 minutes or so gone past the McDonald Downs homestead and are now heading north on Broxton Rd. From there it is just a bit of gentle gravel for a while and then they are on the main road all the way to Hanmer. Then tomorrow they just have to get over Jollies Pass then cruise through the Molesworth which is long but has none of the singletrack or hills that they have had to get thru in the last 3 days. So the end is almost in sight for those boys

I love being able to watch their progress!

Chch weather is a 20kph NE - i.e. direct headwind for them
Which probably just adds to the pain. At least it's not 35 degrees with melting tarmac.

Oli wrote:Woah, what's happening with Jacob Postrygacz's SPOT tracking???

what a wimp, best he can do is 221773.2 mph. maybe he went for fat tires?

BrokenKonaRider wrote:Chch weather is a 20kph NE - i.e. direct headwind for them
Which probably just adds to the pain. At least it's not 35 degrees with melting tarmac.

yeah, but Lees valley is sheltered from the North Easterlies. so is Hawarden, Culverden and Hanmer... probably a nw up there?

and Guy Wyn Williams has stopped in Jacksons... or hasnt hit his SpotTracker button or something???

Go Guy WW! Good to see Matt G hanging in there too. Go MG!

goatie wrote:I would say Andy and Oli are together still. I can't see why they would split unless something bad has happened. There is just too much collective gain to be had by sticking together for the rest of it.

I saw Ollie and Andy at 10.45 this morning at Townsend Hut - Ollie came in 5 mins ahead but hung around for a munch and a dump and for Andy to change brake pads - they were planning to stay together "because Andy knows his way through McDonald Downs", and were headed for Hanmer, maybe Acheron for tonight.

Also saw Mark Rayward at 13.20 on the Wharfedale saddle and was riding just 5 mins ahead of Lisa Savage & Tony Bateup - they had all overnighted in Castle Hill. Saw Lisa & Tony again on my way out - Tony had had a couple of punctures, but they were happily munching on wholewheat sandwiches as they headed north. Mark, Lisa & Tony had Acheron in their sights for tonight.

When I left Mt Pember Stn (start of Lees Valley section) at around 3.45 nobody else had come enrough.

It was low-mid 20's up there, mostly sunny, with light winds - southerly through the saddle but out in Lees Valley more like a light NE - not enough to really make things harder.