Simonk wrote:Still thinking about 'what next'. Maybe run the Kiwi Brevet every second year and alternate with a shorter regional brevet (somewhere like Taranaki heartland or Central Otago).

Reading through these posts, I reckon you may have created a monster similar to Karapoti - an instant classic.

I suspect there will be strong demand for the next edition.

dented wrote:Hey I have a question for the Breveteers.

It arises as I have on a few occasions been involved with the Dunlop Targa. Kind of completely different, but maybe a bit the same too. The thing is, what happens is after you have been swanning around for a week, breezing through towns like a celebrity, with friends and well-wishers following your progress online, and pretty much completely swept up in the event from dawn to dusk (and even beyond), it gets to the end, and BANG, its all over, you go home, you go to work, you go back to reality, and for almost everyone I know (service crew included), you spend about a week right down in the doldrums. There is even a term that describes it; "Targa Blues".

Anyone get a case of the "Brevet Blues"?

Yes, I have post event blues right now. Coming off such a high that lasted all weekend and Monday when people at work and friends were interested in the event, to reality where I have to work and so washing and all the other mundane stuff that goes with living.

My solution is usually to plan for something else cool or another adventure - so guess what I'm doing

Yeah thanks for all the logs postings etc. Really enjoyed following the event and great and interesting reading. I know one guy who got the spews after the first night, even vomited while riding, and could hardly hold any food down for 3days! Amazing he even finished! Obviously tough as nails! This event would be hard enough, even when fully fit etc!

I bumped into a heap of the competitors while I was riding wharfedale last week.

Total and utter madcore legends, every one of them. They opened my eyes to a whole new style of riding, and all those CX and commuter bikes up at Wharfedale made me realise I am worthless and weak!

When I got back to Australia the first thing I did was order myself another steel frame touring bike, capable of fitting 40c tyres, and I'm going to train hard to come back to NZ and enter this event myself, as a punishing 35th birthday challenge for myself!

I take my hat off at all involved in this great event and give you all 5 thumbs up!

LeonH wrote:I bumped into a heap of the competitors while I was riding wharfedale last week.

Total and utter madcore legends, every one of them. They opened my eyes to a whole new style of riding, and all those CX and commuter bikes up at Wharfedale made me realise I am worthless and weak!

When I got back to Australia the first thing I did was order myself another steel frame touring bike, capable of fitting 40c tyres, and I'm going to train hard to come back to NZ and enter this event myself, as a punishing 35th birthday challenge for myself!

I take my hat off at all involved in this great event and give you all 5 thumbs up!

i wondered if you would have run into these guys. i hadnt put two and two together when you said you were doing the Wharfdale and that they'd be going through there that day. hope you rode Craigieburn too, and had a good stay in chacha.

...sorry for the thread hijack...

Simon, i like the idea of smaller regional ones. some folks i know do themselves big Banks Peninsula multiday trips, plenty of gravel roads, campgrounds, paper roads, stockroutes, to piece together trips of epic proportions, all on our doorstep. i'm sure these must exist within cooee of most centres. and i'm sure you'd find no shortage of people to help put stuff together.

Just playing around... Seriously...

How about:
Pedal bike for the water... I've already done a quick reccie of the route - looks like a good'un

What about the return Tim? Island hop across the Pacific then through South and North America and return to blighty via Greenland and Scandinavia. Just an idea if you have a bit of time next year.

Darren

mrpotatohead wrote:What about the return Tim? Island hop across the Pacific then through South and North America and return to blighty via Greenland and Scandinavia. Just an idea if you have a bit of time next year.

Darren

Oh yeah... that's just the first stage...

Just spending a cruisy evening with google checking out what might have been published about the Kiwi Brevet.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-expr ... r-cyclists

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-expr ... ging-stuff

And this made me laugh...

Tricone wrote: Its interesting how the Whaka 100 is 'New Zealands toughest MTB race'. There seem to be quite a few of these around - The 125km Round Lake Hawea MTB race is also called NZs toughest. Then there is the Mt Peel marathon also billed as NZs toughest. Then there is the Alpine epic multi day race which is supposedly NZs toughest and finally there is the KiwiBrevet which at 1200km probably actually is New Zealands toughest MTB event.
They breed us tough down here!

From http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/t ... ew-zealand

Bummer the Marlborough Express didn't realise you'd finished with me and Thomas, Sifter.

I treat any event's claim to be the longest, toughest, best'est, whatever, with great suspicion. For a start, they are usually just plain wrong.
But also, if the organiser can't come up with something just a little bit original what does that say about their creativity. Guess I have a thin skin when it comes to marketing hype.

The Whaka100 is a great race - the best 100km MTB course in NZ, I reckon. But it's claim to be an ultra-endurance event is rubbish.

The Lake Hawea MTB Race is something very special - the scenery is stunning, but for it's length it is pretty easy.

The Mt Peel MTB Marathon is a true classic, and probably was the toughest MTB race in NZ in it's first few years, but that claim has been out-of-date for a while (at least since the big hike-a-bike was re-worked into a rideable 4WD track).

The Alpine Epic's claim to be NZ's first multi-day MTB race is born of complete ignorance of NZ MTBing pre-1995. Maybe it's the hardest MTB race in NZ, but I suspect it depends on the weather on the weekend. The 8hr Akatarawa Attack or the 2-day Cyclic Saga have the potential to leave one feeling pretty damn broken IF they are taken seriously.

I don't think of the Brevet as a MTB event - it can be done on touring or cyclo-cross bike. And if it's done in a cruisy frame of mind it doesn't have to be 'tough' like a competitive race is. I'd hate to think 'toughest' became the Brevet's tagline - it has sooooooooo much more to offer than an epic hammer session.

I'm pretty sure one or 2 of the Ngaumu races simon, could push for that title